#8. 2012 Orioles Add Future Hall Of Famer Jim Thome
The Trade:
The 2012 Baltimore Orioles took the baseball world by surprise. After being a rebuilding club for over a decade, the team magically appeared from the basement of the AL East and emerged into a contender that would go on to win the first-ever AL Wild Card game.
In their only significant deadline move, they added a household name to their lineup. They flipped prospects Gabriel Lino and Kyle Simon to the Phillies in exchange for 2018 Baseball Hall Fame inductee Jim Thome.
Neither Lino or Simon would ever reach the majors while Thome finished his MLB carer as an Oriole as he slashed .257/.354/.396 with three home runs in 28 games during the team’s 2012 playoff push.
Though this move did not result in much production it signaled the Orioles transition from sellers to buyers for the first time in several years while also bringing in a future hall of famer to the Charm City.