1976 Topps Traded: The Missing Cards - #25T Mike Torrez

1976 Topps Traded: The Missing Cards - #25T Mike Torrez

While Torrez will forever be remembered by Red Sox fans as the guy who gave up Bucky Dent's home run in the one-game play-off in 1978, he really should be remembered as a 20-game winner and sturdy, top-of-the-rotation-type pitcher. With 185 career wins to his credit, not including a pair of victories in the 1977 World Series, the Bear was great. As a sidebar, it's crazy to think about the talent that changed teams in the Reggie Jackson trade to Baltimore: Reggie and Ken Holtzman to the O's and Baylor, Torrez, and Paul Mitchell to the A's. And none of these players ended the 1977 season on either of these teams! Amazing!

1976 Topps Traded: The Missing Cards - #90T Sal Bando

1976 Topps Traded: The Missing Cards - #90T Sal Bando

As part of the Great Fire Sale That Wasn't, Charlie Finley let the White Sox kick the tires on Sal Bando. Bando was granted free agency after the 1976 season and signed with the Milwaukee Brewers.

1976 Topps Traded: The Missing Cards - #520T Willie McCovey

1976 Topps Traded: The Missing Cards - #520T Willie McCovey

After the A's aborted fire sale at the June 15th trade deadline, Oakland made a push for the division title. Part of that push was the purchase of Willie McCovey's contract at the end of August. It didn't end up working out for either party. Big Mac hit just .208 in just 11 games. 1977 found him back in a Giants uniform, where he returned to form, smacking 28 home runs and finishing in the top 20 most valuable players in the league.

1976 Topps Traded: The Missing Cards - #125T Don Baylor

The seminal Oakland/Baltimore trade of April 1976 is often remembered as Reggie Jackson's departure from Oakland. But what about Baylor? Here was a slugger entering his prime, two years away from being named American League MVP (1979). And while Baltimore essentially leased Jackson for the 1976 season, it was really that both teams were lessees: by the start of the 1977 season, of all the players involved in the trade only one player remained with his team: Paul Mitchell with the A's, and even Mitchell was gone midway through 1977 in a trade with Seattle. Baylor signed with the Angels and Ken Holtzman, Reggie Jackson, and Mike Torrez all joined the Yankees.

1976 Topps Traded: The Missing Cards - #140 Vida Blue

1976 Topps Traded: The Missing Cards - #140 Vida Blue

As part of the Great Finley Fire Sale of 1976, the Oakland A's sold Vida Blue to the New York Yankees on June 15th. Three days later, the league voided the sale, returning Blue to Oakland. This custom card is how I think Topps would've handled it.