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Throughout the history of Major League Baseball there have been good trades and bad trades and then there are some that are so bad you wonder what the team was thinking. In this blog I’m going to discuss some trades and some other mistakes that teams would like to have “repeated”. These examples for the most part involve Hall of Famers or future Hall of Famers.
The big one
I’ll start with the most obvious; the Boston Red Sox selling Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees. If you follow baseball, you know that the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees for $100,000 during the 1919-1920 offseason. Prior to that transaction, the Red Sox had been one of professional baseball’s most successful franchises, winning the first World Series and capturing five World Series titles. After the sale, they went without a title for 86 years and the Yankees became one of the most successful franchises in North American professional sports. Ruth’s last year with the Yankees was in 1934, so he didn’t make much of an impact for the 70 years until they finally won in 2004.
Boston Red Sox trade Jeff Bagwell
The Red Sox made another trade that, in hindsight, they wish they could get back. This time the player was Jeff Bagwell. In 1990, the Red Sox were in a pennant race and needed a veteran pitcher. At the same time, the Houston Astros were going nowhere and were in a rebuilding phase. So, the Astros feel Larry Andersen for the Red Sox. Andersen pitched in 15 games and compiled an impressive 1.23 ERA. However, in the playoffs he recorded a loss and after that he was finished with the Red Sox.
To get Andersen, the Red Sox agreed to send Jeff Bagwell to the Astros. Bagwell began his career with the Astros by winning the 1991 National League Rookie of the Year. In 1994 he won the MVP award and finished second (1999) and third in MVP voting (1997). Four All-Star Game appearances, three Silver Slugger Awards and a Gold Glove Award later, in my opinion, Bagwell had a Hall of Fame career. Bagwell finished with 449 home runs and if injuries hadn’t shortened his career; he probably would have hit over 500 home runs.
Mets trade Nolan Ryan and Tom Seaver
The Mets didn’t do it just once; they traded two Hall of Fame pitchers, Nolan Ryan and Tom Seaver. Imagine a starting rotation that included Nolan Ryan, Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman. Together they won 867 games. In the Mets’ defense, Ryan’s four years with the Mets were not speculation. He was traded to the Angels with several others for Jim Fregosi. Fregosi played a total of 146 games for the Mets hitting .233.
For whatever reason, teams have signed Nolan Ryan, then after a few years have tried to trade him or let him go, thinking the end of his career must be in sight. Every year he proved those teams wrong, but the worst story is the team that let him go before he became one of the best pitchers in baseball history.
Once in California, Ryan became a star. So maybe we could give them some slack with Ryan, but Tom Seaver was the Mets’ ace. How do you justify trading a pitcher who has won three Cy Young Awards and been a 10-time All-Star?
The Mets had to answer this in 1977 when they traded Seaver to the Reds for Pat Zachry, Doug Flynn, Steve Henderson and Dan Norman. In the five and a half years that Zachry spent with the Mets, he compiled a 52-62 record. Meanwhile, during the same period, Seaver compiled a 75-49 record for the Reds. The other three players are not worth mentioning.
The Mets made another significant airhead move. In 1966, the Mets got the first overall pick in the MLB draft. They make fun of catcher Steve Chilcott. They could have drafted outfielder Reggie Jackson. Chilcott, is one of the first two overall players to never play a game in the major leagues. The other is Brien Taylor, drafted by the New York Yankees in 1991. Jackson went on to have a Hall of Fame career with 563 home runs, 1,702 RBIs, fourteen All-Star appearances and the MVP in 1973.
Houston Astros trade Joe Morgan
After nine mediocre years with Houston, the Astros gave up on Morgan and traded him to the Cincinnati Reds. There must be something in Cincinnati that agrees with him. In each of his eight years with the Reds, he was selected to the All-Star team and won two MVP awards and led the Reds to two World Series titles.
As with the Mathewson trade, Morgan returned to Houston for a year during which they won the National League West title. Morgan was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1990.
Philadelphia Phillies trade Ryne Sandberg
Ryne Sandberg was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 20th round of the 1978 amateur draft. Sandberg played 13 games for the Phillies in 1981. The Phillies traded him with Larry Bowa to the Cubs for Iván De Jesús.
There are some players whose name makes you think of a team. When you hear the names Ron Santo or Ryne Sandberg, you automatically think of the Chicago Cubs. Sandberg went on to have a Hall of Fame career.
In three seasons with the Phillies, De Jesus never topped .257.
Chicago Cubs trade Lou Brock
Lou Brock was with the Chicago Cubs for four seasons, but only played two full seasons before being traded to the St. Louis Cardinals.
In 1964, the Cubs sent Brock and two others to the St. Louis Cardinals for Ernie Broglio. In three seasons with the Cardinals, Broglio compiles a 6-21 record with a 5.12 ERA. Meanwhile, Brock’s career took off leading the Cardinals to a World Series title in his first year. Brock went on to have a Hall of Fame career.
Detroit Tigers trade John Smoltz
The Detroit Tigers drafted John Smoltz in the 22nd round of the 1985 amateur draft. Before Smoltz reached the major leagues, the Tigers traded him to the Atlanta Braves. In 1987, the Tigers were in a pennant race and the non-contending Braves easily traded Doyle Alexander for Smoltz. Alexander went 9-0 with a 1.53 ERA in 11 starts, helping the Tigers reach the playoffs.
Unfortunately, he sucked in the playoffs going 0-2 with a 10.0 ERA. Smoltz debuted on July 23, 1988, joining Tom Glavine and Greg Maddox in one of the best starting rotations in baseball history. Smoltz became a reliever from 2001 to 2004. He is the only pitcher in Major League history to surpass 200 wins (213) and 150 saves (154). He is also a member of the 3,000 strikeout club.
St. Louis Cardinals trade Steve Carlton
In 1972, the St. Louis Cardinals traded 20-game winner Steve Carlton to the Philadelphia Phillies for 17-game winner Rick Wise. At the time, Carlton was the number two pitcher behind Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson. They had already won one World Series, and Carlton seemed to be the heir apparent to Bob Gibson.
In Philadelphia, Carlton won 241 of 329 games and won four Cy Young Awards. Wise lasted two years with the Cardinals compiling a 32-28 record.
Montreal, Seattle, Houston, Arizona (twice) and the New York Yankees traded or released Randy Johnson
For some reason, trading Randy Johnson always makes at least one team look stupid. The Montreal Expos traded him in a package to the Seattle Mariners for Mark Langston. This was obviously a big deal for the Mariners, as they now had their ace for the ’90s. The Expos could have had a top of the rotation with Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez.
Yet for all the bad trades the Mariners have had, at least when they traded Johnson to the Astros in 1998, they received Freddy Garcia and Carlos Guillen. Garcia finished second to Carlos Beltrán for Rookie of the Year in 1999, finishing with a 17-8 record and winning 76 games in the 4 1/2 years he was with the Mariners. Guillén had a decent career with the Mariners.
The Astros got what they needed. In 11 games, Johnson compiled a 10-1 record with a 1.28 ERA.
For the Expos, though, these kinds of trades explain everything.
Montreal Expos Trade Pedro Martinez
It’s hard to trade your best player when you feel like he’s going to leave in free agency, but at least you can get something for him when you do.
After the Dodgers traded Martinez for Delino DeShields, one of those; I wish we could make trades, Martinez went 17-8 with a 1.90 ERA and won the Cy Young Award in 1997. I guess the Expos weren’t impressed as they traded him to the Red Sox where he won two more Cy Young Awards. Instead of acquiring a few quality prospects, all they got was Carl Pavano (24-35) and Tony Armas, Jr. (32-41).
In addition to Randy Johnson and Martinez, the Expos traded Larry Walker, Andre Dawson, Vladimir Guerrero and several other really good players.
Chicago White Sox trade Sammy Sosa and move to another slugger
The Rangers originally traded Sosa to the White Sox after he played a total of 25 games for them. After three seasons with the White Sox, they saw nothing to make them think he would be a powerhouse home run hitter, so they traded him to the Cubs for George Bell.
Bell’s career was all but over and after two seasons he retired. Meanwhile, Sosa displayed the exact power the White Sox were trying to turn around. The extra power could have helped them compete in the AL Central.
Like the Mets 20 years earlier, the White Sox with the fifth pick in the 1985 draft took a high school catcher from California named Kurt Brown; he never made it to the majors. With the sixth pick, the Pirates selected Arizona State outfielder Barry Bonds. Do you think the White Sox could have won a division title or two with Bonds in left field?
Imagine a lineup that included Frank Thomas, Barry Bonds, and Sammy Sosa. The White Sox could have made it happen, but they didn’t.
Stay tuned, as I doubt we’ve seen the latest “airhead” moves. I will be watching the races of Jesús Montero and Michael Pineda.