Remembering The 1999 Trade Deadline

With Y2K and the imminent demise of the world just months away, it was incumbent upon teams to add just the right player for the stretch run. After all, when future civilizations came across the remains of our shattered lives, 1999 would loom as the final season for baseball, the single most important accomplishment in American society. Or so it seemed at the time. Here's how the moves broke down: The trading really hit its stride on July 8, when the Diamondbacks traded Abraham Nunez, Vladimir Nunez and Brad Penny to the Marlins for Matt Mantei. In the short term, the deal was a huge win for Arizona. Mantei pitched to a 2.76 ERA overall in 1999, with a ludicrous 15.6 strikeouts per nine innings. He went on to pitch six seasons in the desert with some success and a few injuries. Penny, meanwhile, pitched to a 4.04 ERA over five seasons with Florida, before having his best years in Los Angeles. Alas, neither Nunez amounted to much, keeping July 8 from forever being know...