Sieck: Aaron Boone to the Yankees: In 2003, the Cincinnati Reds dealt infielder Aaron Boone to the New York Yankees for starting pitcher Brandon Claussen and reliever Charlie Manning. Now, up until this point, Boone had a semi-decent career in the books but wasn’t exactly setting the world ablaze. However, many folks may remember that he subsequently hit an 11^th-inning homerun in Game 7 of the ALCS against the Red Sox to take the series, obviously.

"Hey, I got my 15 minutes of fame."

A ton of folks regard it as one of the best dongs in baseball history (myself included), so in the grand scheme of matters, the trade was worth it for the Yanks, I guess, even though they did go on to lose the World Series to the Florida Marlins in six games.

However, many folks may not remember that Boone’s stint with the Yankees was very short-lived. The following winter Boone tore a knee ligament playing basketball, which was a clear violation of his contract, and this genius move allowed the Yankees to call for his axing. As far as the Reds?… Well, Claussen gave the club a rather unimpressive 5.12 ERA to finish out 2003. And Charlie Manning? The Yankees reacquired the roster-filling hurler the very next year. Nice work, everyone.

Dave:  CC Sabathia to the Milwaukee Brewers: While there were many to choose from, this was the freshest in my memory for obvious reasons.  In 2008, The “Brew Crew” sent four prospects, headlined by outfielder Matt LaPorta (let’s just say they traded away their future), for CC Sabathia and a chance to win it all.  It worked out great for the Brewers as Sabathia (11-2 with an ERA 1.65 for the Brewers in the regular season) seemed to recharge their squad on their way to the postseason.

"They didn't have hitters like Brett Myers in the AL, y'all."

Unfortunately for Sabathia, he had to pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies in the playoffs.  Sabathia struggled mightily at Citizens Bank Park (completely defeating one of the main reasons why the Brewers went after him) and turned in a dismal postseason.  Sabathia only got to take the hill one time in the NLDS, and the Phightins’ roughed him up to the tune of six hits and five earned runs.  Sabathia only lasted 3 2/3 and finished his postseason run in a Brewers uniform with an ERA of 12.27.  Phillies and Brewers fans alike, will never forget his battle with pitcher Brett Myers in a nine-pitch at bat that would eventually set the stage for Shane Victorino’s grand slam and a 5-2 Phillies victory.  Sabathia’s exit out of the game was only matched by his exit out of a Brewers uniform, as he signed with the Yankees in early December.

Brian: Adam Oates to Philadelphia Flyers: Although I really wanted to stay away from any obvious deal, I have to admit that I still cringe when I recall this one.  After injuries sidelined Philly favorites Jeremy Roenick (knee) and Keith Primeau (ribs), the Flyboys were desperate to replace at least one of them as they headed to the playoffs.  The result was the acquistion of the Washington Capitals’ sure-fire Hall of Famer, Adam Oates.

"Any of you guys have my rookie card? Because, ya' know, I'm old."

Oatesy (gotta use hockey speak for this column) appeared on my radar when he played alongside my favorite player of all time, Brett Hull. The Golden Brett was Oates’ primary target when they played together in 1990-1992, and it was in St. Louis that Oates cemented himself as one of the premier passers in the game. Fast forward to 2002, when a then 40-year old Oates was being traded more often than pogs, as the Flyers dealt Maxime Ouellet, 2002 1st rounder (transferred to Dallas – Martin Vagner), 2002 2nd rounder (Maxime Daigneault), and 2002 3rd Rounder (Derek Krestanovich) for the fading setup man.  Oates played in 14 regular season games and 5 playoff games for the Flyers in ‘02, tallying a paltry 12 points before sashaying his way back to Washington and into retirement two years later.