Roberto Alomar, Jays GM Pat Gillick, to be introduced to baseball’s Hall of Fame

Pat Gillick’s acquisition of outfielder Joe Carter and slick infielder Robbie Alomar in 1990 is regarded as the blockbuster move turned the Toronto Blue Jays into a legitimate World Series contender.

It’s certainly going to be a hot-button topic when Gillick and Alomar are inducted together into baseball’s Hall of Fame, along with veteran pitcher Bert Blyleven on July 24.

But the former Jays GM says landing veteran pitcher David Cone in August 1992 after he cleared waivers remains his most gratifying deal because it’s the one that put Toronto over the top.

“Getting David Cone in ’92, he kind of put us over the hump and got us to where we had to go,” Gillick said during a conference call Friday. “Once in a while, a guy will slip through waivers and he slipped through.”

Gillick made huge headlines at the baseball winter meetings in Rosemont, Ill., on Dec. 5, 1990 when he sent infielders Fred McGriff and Tony Fernandez to the San Diego Padres for Carter and Alomar.

Carter and Alomar were integral parts of the Jays teams that won consecutive World Series titles in 1992 and 1993.

Alomar was a 12-time all-star and 10 times captured a Gold Glove at second base, while Carter’s dramatic walkoff homer off Philadelphia reliever Mitch Williams secured Toronto its second straight world championship.

But Gillick says the acquisition of Cone on Aug. 27, 1992, from the New York Mets for Jeff Kent and Ryan Thompson was instrumental in Toronto winning its first championship.

“As it turned out, one of the guys probably is a marginal Hall of Famer, Jeff Kent was in that deal with Ryan Thompson,” Gillick said. “We thought about it and said, ‘David Cone is a guy we think can put us over the hump,’ and at the same time it kind of deflates your competition if you can do something like that.”

Cone was just 4-3 with Toronto but sported a 2.55 earned-run average and had 47 strikeouts to boost his overall total to a major league-leading 261.

In the playoffs, Cone went 1-1 with a 3.22 ERA.

Gillick presently serves as senior adviser with the Philadelphia Phillies and has spent nearly 50 years in the majors, 27 of which as a GM.

He built playoff teams with Toronto, Baltimore, Seattle and Philadelphia, helping the Phillies capture the 2008 World Series title. Gillick retired as Philadelphia’s GM following that championship.

Gillick joined the expansion Blue Jays in 1977, building five division-winning clubs and two World Series winners from 1985 to ’93. But when it comes to building winners, Gillick has a Midas touch as from 1983, teams he served as the GM with posted winning seasons in 20 of 22 seasons.

Gillick was added to the Blue Jays Level of Excellence on Aug. 8, 2002.