On June 15, the Cubs made one of the most infamous deals in baseball history, remembered today simply as "
Brock for Broglio". There were six players involved in all, but the most prominent players involved were
pitcher Ernie Broglio, who came to the Cubs from the
St. Louis Cardinals, and
outfielder Lou Brock, who went to the Cardinals from the Cubs. While Broglio was a serviceable
starter for the rest of 1964, he would post
ERAs over 6 in each of the next two seasons, and was out of baseball altogether by the end of 1967. Brock went on to star for the Cardinals for the next fifteen years, and eventually be elected to the
Hall of Fame. It is to this day often held up as an example of a lopsided trade outcome. The Cubs in 1963 had been a team that had arrived, finishing over .500 for the first time since 1946. They had a great nucleus with Hubbs,
Ron Santo,
Billy Williams,
Ernie Banks, pitchers
Dick Ellsworth and
Larry Jackson, and Brock. In 1963, the Cubs finished second in the league in ERA and second in giving up the fewest runs, earned runs, and walks. With Hubbs on the team in 1964, it is highly unlikely the Cubs would have pushed the panic button and traded Brock. With Brock batting first, Hubbs second, followed by Williams, Santo, and Banks in 1964, the Cubs would have fielded a strong lineup, as they had in 1963. That 1964 lineup featured three future Hall of Famers even without Hubbs and Brock. Left fielder Williams batted .312 that year with 33 homers and 98 RBI, and garnered some MVP votes. Third baseman Santo batted cleanup, with a .313 average, a major league leading 13 triples, a National League high 86 walks, and a league leading .398 on-base percentage. First baseman Banks was fifth in the lineup. He batted only .264 that year, but had 23 homers and 95 RBI. With the cloud of Hubbs' untimely passing hanging over their heads, however, the Cubs finished ten games under .500.
Season standings Record vs. opponents Notable transactions • May 28, 1964:
Chuck Hartenstein was signed as an amateur free agent by the Cubs. • June 3, 1964: The Cubs traded $40,000 to the
Milwaukee Braves for
Len Gabrielson. The Cubs completed the deal by sending
Merritt Ranew to the Braves on June 8. • June 6, 1964:
Jim Qualls was signed as an amateur free agent by the Cubs. • June 15, 1964:
Lou Brock,
Jack Spring, and
Paul Toth were traded by the Cubs to the
St. Louis Cardinals for
Ernie Broglio,
Doug Clemens and
Bobby Shantz. • June 19, 1964:
Don Kessinger was signed as an amateur free agent by the Cubs.
Roster == Player stats ==