We look back at the 2007 trade bringing Miguel Tejada to the Houston Astros.
The Houston Astros reached the World Series in 2005 and narrowly missed the postseason in 2006, so there were plenty of expectations for the 2007 season. Unfortunately the team went 73-89, costing manager Phil Garner and GM Tim Purpura their jobs. Looking to rebound in 2008, new GM Ed Wade made a blockbuster trade for shortstop Miguel Tejada.
Wade made a few big deals that offseason, shipping Brad Lidge to the Phillies (and acquiring the underrated Michael Bourn), bringing Jose Valverde in from Arizona and signing Kazuo Matsui. But perhaps the biggest was on Dec. 12 when he acquired Tejada in exchange for pitchers Matt Albers, Troy Patton and Dennis Sarfate, outfielder Luke Scott and third baseman Mike Costanzo.
The Astros had coveted Tejada for some time and finally got him to Houston. They gave up five players to get him, so they paid a handsome price for a 33-year-old former MVP. But was the trade worthwhile? Let’s take a look in depth.