St. Louis added Wayne Trimble and Walter Johnson, also…
St. Louis added Wayne Trimble and Walter Johnson, also identified as Walter Clarke, from San Francisco, while the record lists cash going to the 49ers. Surviving player histories complicate the transaction because Trimble's move is also described as a waiver claim rather than a conventional cash trade. With the exact mechanism and downstream value uncertain, neither side has a documented advantage large enough to separate the exchange.
Arizona Cardinals Received
- player Wayne Trimble
- player Walter Johnson (Clarke)
San Francisco 49ers Received
- other cash
Trade Analysis
Why the Trade Happened
St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers made this deal during the 1968 football year. St. Louis Cardinals received Wayne Trimble, Walter Johnson (Clarke), while San Francisco 49ers received cash. The exchange fits the roster-building logic of the era, when clubs regularly moved veteran rights and future draft capital to solve immediate needs. The terms are stated exactly at the level carried by the transaction record, without turning uncertain draft links into facts.
What St. Louis Cardinals Received
St. Louis Cardinals came away with Wayne Trimble, Walter Johnson (Clarke). The grade considers whether that return created usable roster value, a meaningful draft opportunity, or a later asset that can be traced with confidence. Wayne Trimble moved from San Francisco to St. Louis at the 1968 roster cut, but surviving player histories describe the move as a waiver claim rather than a conventional player-for-cash trade. The record is therefore evaluated conservatively and without assigning a large hindsight edge to either club. Where the downstream path is uncertain, the evaluation stops at the strongest documented point rather than awarding credit for a speculative connection.
What San Francisco 49ers Received
San Francisco 49ers received cash. Its grade is measured by the same standard: practical football value, durability of the return, and any securely traceable later movement. Historical trades from this period can have incomplete paper trails, so the comparison favors documented outcomes over assumptions. That keeps both sides on equal footing and avoids overstating what the surviving evidence can prove.
Final Verdict
The final grades are St. Louis Cardinals B- and San Francisco 49ers B-. The verdict is Even Trade. Neither side has a sufficiently clear documented advantage to justify separating the grades, so the exchange lands as an even result. This is a complete historical judgment of the recorded deal while preserving uncertainty where the old transaction trail does not support a stronger claim.