Cardinals Who Became Cubs (and Vice-Versa)

304 players have suited up for both the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals (and their predecessors) since 1883.

In my recent column, ”Cardinals “Creativity”: Why Not Wood?”, I put forward a case as to why signing the Chicago Cubs soon-to-be free-agent closer Kerry Wood could be good fit for the 2009 St. Louis Cardinals.

Based on the resulting emails and message board posts, there are those intrigued by the idea while others would consider it blasphemous for the Cardinals to covet a player that wore the Cubbie blue.

News flash: It is hardly a new idea.

The past

Sure, most baseball fans remember the blockbuster six-player trade between the clubs on June 15, 1964 which sent Cardinals starting pitcher Ernie Broglio and two others to Chicago in return for future Hall-of-Famer Lou Brock plus two players.

Yet, there have been many, many more players moving between the two clubs. Over 300 of them, in fact, ranging from Ted Abernathy to Todd Zeile with three Schultzes included (Barney, Buddy and Joe).

The first occurred in 1883, prior to the second season of the St. Louis franchise of the American Association. The Browns, as they were known then, paid the Chicago White Stockings of the National League, the ancestor of the Cubs, the princely sum of $50 for the services of outfielder Hugh Nicol (right). Nicol also apparently holds the distinction of being the only Scottish-born man to play in the major leagues.

The pictured tobacco card is from 1886, the year manager Charlie Comiskey’s Browns won their first-ever World Series. The St. Louisans defeated who else but the Chicago White Stockings. (Further linking the two cities, Comiskey would later own the American League Chicago White Sox for their first 31 years of existence.)

Nicol’s 1883 Browns teammate and a starting outfielder like him, Tom Dolan, also previously had a one-game cup of coffee with the 1879 White Stockings. Since 1883, rarely did a season follow in which there was not at least one former player from one club on the other’s roster.

The present

When centerfielder Jim Edmonds first suited up for the Chicagoans on May 15, 2008, he became the bookend of Nicol as the 304th major leaguer in the long history of the Cubs and Cardinals to play for both franchises.

The long-time Cards star Edmonds leaving the San Diego Padres and joining the Cubs was especially alarming and disturbing to many. The fact that St. Louis was paying $2 million of his 2008 salary only added salt to the open wound.

The discomfort increased throughout the summer as the 38-year-old found new life while helping power the Cubs to 97 regular season wins and their second consecutive NL Central Division title. Yet, even Edmonds could not alter the three-and-out NLDS result that ensued for the second year in a row.

Edmonds actually balanced out the current ex-Cubs, ex-Cardinals factor this season. The outfielder joined starting pitcher Jason Marquis as the two Chicagoans that previously called St. Louis home. In the other dugout, starting pitcher Todd Wellemeyer and shortstop Cesar Izturis first wore the Cubs uniform.

Though Edmonds and Izturis will become free agents at the conclusion of the World Series, both could be back next year. Either way, there should be at least one “ex” on each roster in 2009. Marquis will enter the final year of his initial three-year Chicago contract while Wellemeyer is arbitration-eligible, but under Cardinals organizational control.

At $9.875 million next season, Marquis may just be the most expensive number five starter in all of baseball. Wellemeyer should receive a substantial raise for 2009, but will still knock down only about a quarter of what the former Cardinal will be making.

The leaders

Statman/historian Tom Orf went from today back through 1960 and ranked the players over the last half-century that competed for both clubs in the following eleven areas.

(Cardinals stats listed first, with the players ranked in that manner. Cubs numbers follow to the right.)

Games: position players
(min. 100 each team)	StL yrs	G	ChC yrs	G
Lou Brock	1964-79	2289	1961-64	327
Mike Tyson	1972-79	844	1980-81	173
John Mabry	1994-2005	748	2006	107
Jerry Mumphrey	1974-79	522	1986-88	292
Gary Gaetti	1996-98	380	1998-99	150
Hector Cruz	1973-77	303	1978-82	100
Delino DeShields	1997-98	267	2001-02	135
Jose Cardenal	1970-71	237	1972-77	821
Don Kessinger	1976-77	204	1964-75	1648
Shawon Dunston	1999-00	160	1985-97	1254
Jimmie Schaffer	1961-62	138	1963-64	111
Mark Grudzielanek	2005	137	2003-04	202
Steve Lake	1986-88	136	1983-93	175
George Altman	1963	135	1959-67	732
Jerry Morales	1978	130	1974-83	792
Leon Durham	1980-89	125	1981-88	921
Steve Swisher	1978-80	101	1974-77	366
Games: pitchers
(min. 100 each team)	StL yrs	G	ChC yrs	G
Lindy McDaniel	1955-62	336	1963-65	191
Larry Jackson	1955-62	330	1963-66	119
Bruce Sutter	1981-84	249	1976-80	300
Lee Smith	1990-93	245	1980-87	458
Frank DiPino	1989-92	138	1986-88	162
Barney Schultz	1955-65	107	1961-63	107

Pitching victories
(min. 10 each team)	StL	ChC
Larry Jackson	101	52
Lindy McDaniel	66	19
Lynn McGlothen	44	31
Jason Marquis	42	23
Bruce Sutter	26	32
Lee Smith	15	40
Saves
(min. 10 each team)	StL	ChC
Lee Smith	160	180
Bruce Sutter	127	133
Lindy McDaniel	64	39
Barney Schultz	21	14
Games started
(min. 40 each team)	StL	ChC
Larry Jackson	209	116
Lynn McGlothen	97	63
Jason Marquis	97	61
Hits
(min. 150 each team)	StL	ChC
Lou Brock	2713	310
Jerry Mumphrey	434	206
Jose Cardenal	235	864
Mark Grudzielanek	155	230
Don Kessinger	152	1619
Doubles
(min. 15 each team)	StL	ChC
Lou Brock	434	52
Todd Zeile	149	16
Mike Tyson	97	21
Ted Sizemore	93	17
Gary Gaetti	74	20
Jerry Mumphrey	60	32
Delino DeShields	47	15
Jose Cardenal	44	159
Mark Grudzielanek	30	50
Don Kessinger	26	201
Jerry Morales	19	110
George Altman	18	100
Shawon Dunston	16	226
Leon Durham	16	173
Triples
(min. 10 each team)	StL	ChC
Lou Brock	121	20
Jose Cardenal	10	16
Home runs
(min. 10 each team)	StL	ChC
Lou Brock	129	20
Gary Gaetti	51	17
Jose Cardenal	17	61
Shawon Dunston	17	107
Runs batted in
(min. 50 each team)	StL	ChC
Lou Brock	814	86
Gary Gaetti	192	73
Jerry Mumphrey	134	85
Jose Cardenal	122	343
Shawon Dunston	68	489
Mark Grudzielanek	59	61
Stolen bases
(min. 10 each team)	StL	ChC
Lou Brock	888	50
Delino DeShields	81	22
Jose Cardenal	38	129

In an additional drill-down, here are five St. Louis pitchers that struggled as a Cub before excelling as a Cardinal. (Kent Bottenfield pictured.)

Kent Bottenfield	W-L	ERA
Cubs  1996-97	5-8	3.34	GS-0
Cards 1998-99	22-13	4.17	GS-48
Frank DiPino	W-L	ERA
Cubs  1986-88	7-10	4.32	G-162
Cards 1989-92	14-2	3.34	G-138
Buddy Schultz	W-L	ERA
Cubs  1975-76	3-1	6.14	SV-2
Cards 1977-79	12-8	3.33	SV-10
Bob Tewksbury	W-L	ERA
Cubs  1987-88	0-4	6.75	GS-4
Cards 1989-94	67-46	3.48	GS-142
Todd Wellemeyer	W-L	ERA
Cubs  2003-05	5-3	6.19	GS-0
Cards 2007-08	16-11	3.56	GS-43

Scout.com subscribers can access the complete list of those that have played for the Cardinals and Cubs. For each of the 166 position players and 138 pitchers, their years of play with each club are included: ”Cardinals-Cubs History: The Joint Players”.

Also, a special and ongoing thanks to Lee Sinins’ “Complete Baseball Encyclopedia”, a tool I use almost every day to pull just about any stat a guy could ever want.



Brian Walton can be reached via email at [e-mail].

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