3 Trades Yankees Almost Made That Would Have Killed Their '90s Dynasty

The New York Yankees built a dynasty in the latter half of the 1990s that resulted in four World Series titles from 1996-2000. Players like Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and Bernie Williams were key pieces of the dynasty, and it is hard to imagine any of those lifelong Yankees wearing any other uniform.

Trade talks happen all the time in professional sports, and while many of them don't come to fruition, not every superstar is untouchable. General managers occsionally flirt with creating alternate histories for fans to ponder, and the Yankees are no exception -- in fact, they almost made three trades that would have altered the history of the Yankees and of baseball at large.

3. Bernie Williams to the Tigers

Former New York Yankees OF Bernie Williams was nearly traded in 1997. / Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Bernie Williams spent all 16 of his MLB seasons with the Yankees. He was an All-Star and Gold Glove winner in 1997, but showed up in trade rumors that offseason. More specifically, the Detroit Tigers had a press release written up about a successful trade for Williams. In exchange, the Yankees reportedly would have received prospects Mike Drumright and Roberto Duran. Yankees general manager Bob Watson was not on the same page as Tigers GM Randy Smith, who thought a deal was done. Williams stayed in town and made four straight All-Star Games starting in 1998; Drumright and Duran fell out of the league after a few years, and the Yankees avoided trading away a team legend.

2. Mariano Rivera to the Mariners

New York Yankees legend Mariano Rivera made the Hall of Fame in 2019. / Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

Surely the greatest relief pitcher in history, Mariano Rivera was the first-ever unanimous Hall of Fame selection in 2019 and the only one to date; trading him out of New York would have been a disaster and it nearly happened in 1996. It was Derek Jeter's rookie year, and the team did not have a backup plan at shortstop if he failed. The Seattle Mariners reportedly wanted to move shortstop Felix Fermin in exchange for either Rivera or Bob Wickman. The Yankees stuck with Jeter -- and Mo -- and the rest is history.

1. Mariano Rivera for David Wells

The New York Yankees nearly traded Mariano Rivera for David Wells. / Focus On Sport/Getty Images

The Detroit Tigers wanted to get rid of David Wells during the 1995 season. The asking price? Mariano Rivera. The young reliever made his debut in May 1995 and began hitting 95-96 on the radar gun. That made him off-limits, as he proved to be far too valuable. Nevertheless, the ask was there from the Tigers. Yankees GM Gene Michael stuck with his homegrown reliever, and in a twist of fate, Wells ended up heading to thee Bronx anyway in 1997, winning a World Series with the team in 1998. Losing Rivera before he even got started would have altered MLB history forever.