Since 1931, the BBWAA has voted each year on Most Valuable Player Awards, one per league. In that span, each winner has had at least this one season trait in common: every winner played for just one team that year. We have never seen a player win MVP honors in a year where he changed teams in season, playing for multiple franchises.

It isn’t a requirement, of course. But quantifying a player’s value to his team can often be tougher if he played for two teams in a season, and we rarely see players traded in the midst of what we would consider MVP-caliber campaigns. Not to mention the fact that this is even harder when changing leagues, given that the award is league-specific. But there are certainly players who have come close.

Here are the eight players to finish top-four in MVP voting in seasons where they played for multiple teams, in reverse chronological order.

2008 Manny Ramirez, Dodgers: 4th, traded from Red Sox

With BOS: 100 games, .299/.398/.529, 20 HR, 68 RBI

With LAD: 53 games, .396/.489/.743, 17 HR, 53 RBI

Ramirez’s run after the Trade Deadline in 2008 is one of the great midseason acquisition stat lines of all-time. In just 53 games with the Dodgers, he maintained a .396 average and slugged .743, helping propel the team to a NL West title. They’d been two games behind the D-backs entering August, before he made his debut to start the month. Pujols won the NL MVP that year with 369 vote points, but Ramirez was fourth with 138, behind Ryan Howard (308), and Ryan Braun (139), each of whom played at least 148 games for their respective teams.

By the way, votes are sealed before the playoffs begin, but Ramirez continued his torrid pace in the postseason for the Dodgers, hitting .520 in 36 plate appearances in the NLDS and NLCS, with four home runs.

2003 Shannon Stewart, Twins: 4th, traded from Blue Jays

With TOR: 71 games, .294/.347/.449, 7 HR, 35 RBI

With MIN: 65 games, .322/.384/.470, 6 HR, 38 RBI

Stewart’s campaign from the moment he joined the Twins in ‘03 encapsulates the ‘most valuable to his team’ part of many MVP debates. Through July 16, the day the trade was completed, the Twins were 44-49, with a minus-35 run differential and in third place in the AL Central. With Stewart, they climbed atop that division, winning it by four games and ending up outscoring their opponents by 43 runs. Stewart led the way, being the best leadoff hitter in the AL by both batting average and on-base percentage down the stretch. He finished fourth, with 140 vote points, behind Alex Rodriguez (242), Carlos Delgado (213) and Jorge Posada (194).

1993 Fred McGriff, Braves: 4th, traded from Padres

With SD: 83 games, .275/.361/.497, 18 HR, 46 RBI

With ATL: 68 games, .310/.392/.612, 19 HR, 55 RBI

When the Braves acquired McGriff, they were 53-41, nine games behind the NL West-leading Giants in, of course, the pre-Wild Card Era. With him in tow, the team went on to win 104 games, finishing a game ahead of the Giants for that spot in the NLCS against the NL East-winning Phillies. McGriff finished fourth with 177 vote points, behind Barry Bonds (372), Lenny Dykstra (267) and David Justice (183).

1984 Rick Sutcliffe, Cubs: 4th, traded from Indians

With CLE: 15 starts, 5.15 ERA, 58 K

With CHC: 20 starts, 2.69 ERA, 155 K

Sutcliffe is the only pitcher to win the Cy Young Award in a season where he pitched for two teams, and so it figures that he got MVP consideration, too. After 15 starts with a 5.15 ERA for the Indians, he was traded to the NL and the Cubs in June, where he put together a standout second stint of the year, with a 2.69 ERA and 16-1 record in 20 starts, in which the Cubs went 18-2. Before Sutcliffe’s first start, the Cubs were 34-29, two games behind and in third place in the NL East. They went on to win the division by six and a half games. Sutcliffe’s teammate Ryne Sandberg won NL MVP with 326 vote points, but Sutcliffe finished fourth with 151 behind Keith Hernandez (195) and Tony Gwynn (184).

1957 Red Schoendienst, Braves: 3rd, traded by Giants

With NY: 57 games, .307/.337/.476, 9 HR, 33 RBI

With MLN: 93 games, .310/.348/.434, 6 HR, 32 RBI

The Braves were already leading the NL when they acquired Schoendienst, but with him, they turned a game a half lead over the Reds into an eight-game end-of-season lead over the Cardinals to reach the World Series. Though it wouldn’t count for voting, the team went on to win the World Series against the Yankees in seven games, too. Schoendienst led the Majors in hits in ‘57, with 200. He finished third in MVP voting with 221 vote points, with teammate Henry Aaron (239) winning and Stan Musial (230) finishing second.

1956 Sal Maglie, Dodgers: 2nd, purchased from Indians

With CLE: 2 games (0 starts), 3.60 ERA

With BRO: 28 games (26 starts), 2.87 ERA

The 39-year-old Maglie didn’t spend much time with Cleveland before joining the Dodgers, but he did appear for both clubs, making this list and being the only player to finish as high as second in such a season. Maglie’s acquisition by the Dodgers was notable at the time as the hurler had begun his career with the Giants and been on that side of the rivalry, including starting the famous Game 3 between the two clubs for the 1951 pennant, which ended with Bobby Thomson’s Shot Heard Round the World. Dodgers fans warmed up to Maglie in ‘56, though, and he nearly became the first Cy Young winner to pitch for two teams, too. In the first year of the award’s existence, as an MLB-wide honor, he finished second behind teammate Don Newcombe. He was second behind Newcombe for MVP as well.

1951 Minnie Minoso, White Sox: 4th, traded by Indians

With CLE: 8 games, .429/.529/.571, 0 HR, 2 RBI

With CHW: 138 games, .324/.419/.498, 10 HR, 74 RBI

After excelling in the Pacific Coast League after a brief intro with the Indians in 1949, Minoso made the Indians out of Spring Training in ‘51 but was behind Al Rosen at third base and Larry Doby, Dale Mitchell and Bobby Kennedy for any outfield spot. Thus, a trade made sense, and in April he was sent to the White Sox in a three-team deal. There, the hitting he’d shown in the PCL, and previously with the New York Cubans, flourished. He led the Majors with 14 triples and led the AL with 31 stolen bases, demonstrating his speed. He finished second for AL Rookie of the Year behind Gil McDougald and fourth for MVP behind Yogi Berra, Ned Garver and Allie Reynolds.

1945 Red Barrett, Cardinals: 3rd, traded by Braves

With BSN: 9 games (5 starts), 4.74 ERA

With STL: 36 games (29 starts), 2.74 ERA

This season by Barrett came before the Cy Young Award existed, so his efforts for a Cardinals team that finished three games behind the Cubs for the pennant were best honored, awards-wise, in the MVP voting. Even as an in-season acquisition, Barrett threw 246 ⅔ innings for the Cards, most on the team, with a team-leading 29 starts. He led the NL in complete games with 24 that season, leading in wins, with 23, as well. He finished third in the voting behind Phil Cavarretta and his former Braves teammate Tommy Holmes.