Worst Trade of All-Time

[JonathanW]

Other thread about bad Reds trades, got me to thinking about what would be the worst MLB trades of all-time.

The worst I could think of was Miggy (Miguel Cabrera) and Dontrell Willis to Detroit for 6 prospects. The center pieces for the Marlins were:
Cameron Maybin who has not done much, and the Marlins eventually sent to SD for a middle reliever
Andrew Miller (couldn't cut it as a starter & is now a mediocre reliever in Boston)
Badenhop who is also a reliever in Boston
3 others who never did anything.

Miggy may be becoming the best hitter in the modern era.

What is your worst trade ever?

 

[krazykats]

I may be under valuing Eovaldi, but the Hanley trade was pretty bad too.

Looking back now, the Trevor Cahill trade was bad too.

 

[EvilMD]

Some dude named Babe Ruth

 

[Gabewcat]

Obama trading 5 Terrorists for 1 Deserted. LOL

 

[TeoJ]

Originally posted by TubbysTabbys:

Some dude named Babe Ruth

Winner hands down.

 

[JonathanW]

Originally posted by TubbysTabbys:

Some dude named Babe Ruth

At face value, yes, definitely.
However he wasn't traded for a player, he was given away for some cash (to finance a play). So it's difficult for me to call that a trade, but I guess technically it was.

The $100K the Sox got for Ruth was roughly 30 times the average player salary, so in other words the Red Sox got enough cash to pay an entire team for 1 season (with a little extra left over). So that would be like the Angels trading Trout today for $100Million (except back then there was no free agency and so a team couldn't have a player leave them to play for another team in the future). Still a bad deal for one of the 2-3 all-time greatest, but the worst deal ever, maybe not, but definitely in the conversation.

 

[TeoJ]

Just goes to show the Yankees have always bought players..........

 

[Catzman]

I hear you Gabewcat. His post president years definately don't include running any sports teams!

 

[thabigbluenation]

the cubs trading lou brock to the cardinals for ernie broglio. it was part of an overall 6 player trade i believe. but those two were the only of significance.

lou went on to amass 3000 hits, 938 sb's and was a part of 2 world series winning teams, inducted into the hall of fame in 1985.

ernie went 4-7 for the cubbies the following year and was out of baseball the by 1966.

 

[musrat59]

The Reds trading Frank Robinson to Baltimore for some guy named Suitcase Simpson and a couple of others.

 

[EvilMD]

Originally posted by JonathanW:

Originally posted by TubbysTabbys:

Some dude named Babe Ruth

At face value, yes, definitely.
However he wasn't traded for a player, he was given away for some cash (to finance a play). So it's difficult for me to call that a trade, but I guess technically it was.

The $100K the Sox got for Ruth was roughly 30 times the average player salary, so in other words the Red Sox got enough cash to pay an entire team for 1 season (with a little extra left over). So that would be like the Angels trading Trout today for $100Million (except back then there was no free agency and so a team couldn't have a player leave them to play for another team in the future). Still a bad deal for one of the 2-3 all-time greatest, but the worst deal ever, maybe not, but definitely in the conversation.

Yeah, but the league wasn't flourishing with talent like it would be later. Imagine an NBA with Michael Jordan, a couple dozen other pros, and then a bunch of guys who play at the Y every week. That's what major league baseball was like when Ruth started.