San Diego Padres: “Trader Jack” McKeon honored with card giveaway

The San Diego Padres are giving their fans another reason to come to the ballpark on Saturday when they take on the Washington Nationals.

There aren’t many true legends in the history of the San Diego Padres. Tony Gwynn is undoubtedly the most valuable player to ever out on the uniform, but what about those behind the scenes who put the successful Friar teams together?

On Saturday night, the Padres will honor their most renown manager and general manager, Jack McKeon. Also known as “Trader Jack”, McKeon’s baseball card will be given as a promotion to fans who purchase the special ticket package.

McKeon isn’t mentioned a whole lot more as his style of managing and running a front office is far different from today’s trends. But his success speaks for itself, as he put together the 1984 National League champions during his time with the Friars.

McKeon is referred to as “Trader Jack” due to his tendency to pull the trigger on a lot of trades during his time as a general manager. However, the success of this legend is not limited to a front office setting. McKeon managed five teams, the Royals, Athletics, Padres, Reds, and Marlins. His most recent job, the Florida Marlins, resulted in a World Series championship in 2003.

It is remarkable just how successful McKeon was able to be with so many organizations as both a manager and general manager. As a result of this, the Padres will proudly hand out his baseball card on Saturday.

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Fans hope that current G.M. A.J. Preller can prove to be just as effective as McKeon, who held the position for eleven seasons and was truly responsible for that remarkable ’84 pennant run. With the young roster showing signs of improvement on a daily basis, there is hope that someday Preller’s trading card will be a popular promotional giveaway.

Regardless, Saturday provides a welcomed opportunity for fans to reminisce a bit. Yes, it is 2017 and the Padres are still in the earlier stages of a rebuilding process. But it has been done before, and honoring McKeon reminds fans how possible it is. And sometimes, a reminder like that is nice for a team who is 13 games under .500 in August.

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The promotion will go on as long as cards last, and cards will be given on a first-come first-served basis. Remember, the special ticket package is necessary. First pitch between the Nationals and McKeon’s Padres is set for 5:40 PM.