July 11, 2002, was one of the most important days of Larry Beinfest’s tenure leading the Marlins front office. A few months prior, Beinfest acquired little-known LHP Dontrelle Willis who developed into a face of the franchise, but combining the two trades that the Fish finalized on this date did just as much to pave the way to the 2003 World Series title.
The first-year Marlins general manager began his day by sending then-25-year-old righty Ryan Dempster to the Cincinnati Reds for OF Juan Encarnación, IF Wilton Guerrero and minor leaguer Ryan Snare.