In the offseason, there is a lot of time to reminisce about things that could have been. Baseball is the sport with the richest history behind it and the one that contains the most alternative histories. The baseball multiverse (I’m no longer a fan of that word. Thanks a lot, Marvel) is one that is as expansive as anything else with any other topic. A lot of the scenarios that could be different have to do with possible plays and their after effects.

What if the Rangers struck out David Freese?

What if Greg Luzinski was substituted out for defense like he usually was?

What if Fred Merkle ran to second base?

These questions and their butterfly effects can lead people down rabbit holes of wondering about these “what if?” moments that can turn us into knots. Outside of these questions about plays on the field are those other sorts of questions about moves teams could have made, but did not.

If you have recently been watching Netflix, you have likely seen the documentary about the 2004 Red Sox and their march towards a championship. That march could have been much, much different had they pulled off a trade that landed them Alex Rodriguez instead of his continuing his career in the Bronx. Would Boston have won a World Series that year or any other year during his tenure? We can’t know that, of course, since it did not happen, but it’s another of those brain teasers that keeps some up at night. Rare, though, is it that we see a non-move made by a team that is as very specific as this one that I ran across last week, courtesy of user “Baked McBride” on BlueSky:

Talk about something I had never heard of.

The year was 1974 and the Phillies were two years removed from Steve Carlton’s magical 1972 season in which he won 27 of the team’s 59 games. 1973 saw Carlton take a relatively large step back from that dominance, going 13-20 with a 3.90 ERA in 40(!) starts, dropping from a whopping 12.5 bWAR to a meager 2.4 total. 1974 saw a solid bounce back from their ace, a 16-13 record, a 3.22 ERA and 4.8 bWAR on his ledger, but maybe not one up to the lofty standards now set by that 1972 season.

Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images

Maybe it was the promise that another dominant season was still in there mixed with the tinge of disappointment over the following two seasons following 1972. Maybe the team was looking at what they had in the rotation after Carlton and thought they could get away with having those arms as their pitching staff and that they didn’t need Carlton. Whatever it was, once the 1974 season was over, the rumor mill began to churn and the Phillies were starting to send out feelers about moving on from their left handed ace. That led them to zero in on Bobby Bonds.

Now, at this point in baseball, Bonds was considered one of the best outfielders in the game. From 1969-1973, Bonds totaled 30.6 bWAR, hit 156 home runs and stole 206 bases for the San Francisco Giants, hitting .278/.356/.493 with a 134 OPS+ during those five seasons. In 1974, Bonds dipped a bit, hitting .256/.374/.434 with 21 home runs and 41 stolen bases. Not a typical Bonds-ian season to this point, but still something that could boost just about any team in the game.

Looking at the possibility through 2024 colored glass seems finds the potential of that sort of swap to be ludicrous, something alive only on fantasy baseball group chats, but the rumors that an even swap between the two teams for those two specific players were not false. The first time it popped up in Philadelphia papers was October 14 when Bill Conlin mentioned then general manager Paul Owens going to Las Vegas to “deal Steve Carlton to the San Francisco Giants for Bobby Bonds, and – (that’s the hot rumor), they’ll have to wait for the Pope to get off the Pass Line.” ¹

Even then, a reporter would not write down something so specific unless he or she had heard it from someone within the organization. It was a real rumor.

Over at the Philadelphia Inquirer, the rumor got so far as to mention that the team was in a “bidding war” for Bonds, jockeying for position with the Red Sox to acquire the services of the Giants outfielder.

Sources close to the Giants say the Phils have offered pitcher Steve Carlton and outfielder Mike Anderson to the Giants for Bonds and relief pitcher Elias Sosa. The Red Sox have reportedly offered pitcher Rogelio Maret, catcher Bob Montgomery and $500,000 in cash for Bonds alone. ²

At this point, it would make sense to give a bit of background on the other two names involved. Elias Sosa was, at the time, a reliable relief pitcher who had just had two seasons in which he threw over 100 innings in both, landing on an ERA that was in the mid threes in each season and was an solid option in the Giants’ bullpen. Mike Anderson was an outfielder for the Phillies that didn’t hit a whole lot for the team in a shared situation in right field, but from all accounts had a solid glove to make up for a below average bat. Putting it all together, probably still a deal that leans towards whoever is getting Carlton, even with Sosa being a better choice over Anderson.

Of course, the denials began immediately. Owens was “vehemently” denying the rumors that were circulating around Carlton, even with a press conference scheduled that day in San Francisco to announce a trade (that ended up being about Sosa being dealt to the Cardinals). Even with Carlton as strong a candidate to be called an Ace as there was in the game, Owens did not call him untouchable in any kind of a deal.

“[Carlton’s] definitely not an untouchable,” Owens said. “It is just very obvious to every club that he comes high.” ³

What’s interesting about all of this is that the rumors were only circulating around Philadelphia with nary a mention from San Francisco papers. The only thing I found in investigating this was a copy of the rumor that first surfaced in Philadelphia in October 1974. Other than that, there was little mentioned, at least from what I found, of Bonds heading to Philadelphia in exchange for Steve Carlton.

Now, go back and think about that quote from Paul Owens as we sit here near 50 years later. Steve Carlton, one of the best pitchers of all time, still at a relatively young age of 29 and in the midst of his prime, was not an untouchable piece in any trade at any time. The team was not shy about their shopping his services around the game to boost an offense that was still in his infancy as far as being a unit that was feared. Mike Schmidt was just starting to become the home run threat he was known for with a 36 home run season in 1974, but the rest of the offense was merely average. Willie Montanez was second on the team among regulars with a 107 OPS+, so acquiring Bonds made sense for an offense that needed some help.

It never came to fruition.

Bonds would end up being dealt to the Yankees in a straight up deal for Bobby Murcer and Carlton would continue being one of the top pitchers in the game for another 8-10 years. While in New York, Bonds would never again reach the heights he did while in San Francisco even if he did remain a productive outfielder as he traveled the league. It ended up being one of those deals that the team probably is glad never got completed.

Still….what if?

What if Carlton was sent to San Francisco and the Phillies ended up with Bonds? Do they win a World Series in 1980? Does Carlton experience a career like he had in Philadelphia? Does Bonds continue his excellence in Philadelphia?

It’s always fun to think about these kinds of deals and what could have happened as a result of their consummation. Thankfully for the Phillies, this one never happened.