Revisiting the Wild Expos-Indians Trade Involving Bartolo Colon and Cliff Lee

In late June of the 2002 MLB season, two teams heading in opposite directions -- the Cleveland Indians and Montreal Expos -- completed a trade they figured to be mutually beneficial.

Montreal, trailing in the NL Wild Card and NL East by deficits of five and 6.5 games respectively, believed that acquiring an ace in Bartolo Colon would boost their playoff odds.

It didn't exactly pan out like that for the Expos, as fate would have it -- they gave up Cliff Lee to make it happen, and the rest is history.

Expos-Indians Trade Details

• Expos Received: Bartolo Colon and Tim Drew

• Indians Received: Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore, Brandon Phillips, and Lee Stevens

Wow. What a heist by the Tribe.

The Expos famously missed the playoffs in 2002, and never would again before relocating to Washington as the Nationals. As for Colon's tenure with Montreal, well, it lasted just the second half of that 2002 season. Big Sexy finished 10-4 with a 3.31 ERA across 17 starts with the club before landing with the White Sox the following year. That's solid production from Colon, but it led to absolutely nothing, and the Expos gave up a shipment of talent for his three-month stint with the franchise

Now, let's shift to how the Indians made out in this blockbuster.

Cliff Lee was notably inconsistent with Cleveland, but his time with the team was capped by a stellar 2008 campaign. The slick left-hander was rightfully awarded the AL Cy Young for notching a 22-3 record alongside a 2.54 ERA, 170 strikeouts, and a 2.83 FIP.

Grady Sizemore was one of the league's best two-way outfielders for about a five-year span in the mid 2000s. Injuries took their toll on him later in his career, but in his prime, Sizemore was a thrill to watch. In eight years with the Indians, Sizemore was a three-time All-Star and a two-time Gold Glove winner.

Ironically enough, Brandon Phillips was a disaster in Cleveland for four seasons before he emerged as a perennial All-Star with the Cincinnati Reds. But emerge he did.

Who Won the Expos-Indians Trade?

The Indians ended up absolutely fleecing Montreal here. Why would the Expos unload a trio of promising players if they had no ability to sign Colon to an extension? The Tribe didn't do a to winning as a result of the trade, but the production from Lee and Sizemore was more than enough to win them this deal outright.