http://www.joesportsfan.com/column.php?storyid=2025 It's just one fans view...but interesting to think about. With two huge deals in the National League Central this past week, the trade deadline has gotten some much earlier hype than it usually does. Both the Sabathia and the Harden trades have a possibility to become horrible for any of the teams involved—the Brewers miss the playoffs, Sabathia walks after the season, and Matt LaPorta dominates for years; Harden snaps his arm in half this Sunday. But the thing about most every trade that is made is that you really don’t know how good or bad that they will turn out for, in many cases, years afterwards. Since the decade is winding down, it is now possible to look back at the worst trades that have been made since 2000 in baseball. 7. Paul DePodesta’s debacle, 2004 As a new GM and wanting to mix it up even though his team was in first, DePodesta traded Paul LoDuca, Guillermo Mota, and Juan Encarnacion to the Marlins for Hee Seop Choi and Brad Penny. The Dodgers ended up making the playoffs anyways, but this trade makes it just for its gratuitous nature and the fact that it severely pissed off the fans that loved LoDuca. 6. Cardinals/Angels, 2000 This has been covered before just because it’s underrated how lucky this season was, but Kent Bottenfield won 18 games for the Cards in 1999…and no one can still explain how. The next spring, the Cards took advantage of that and an itchy Angel team to turn Bottenfield and Adam Kennedy into Jim Edmonds, who they promptly signed to a long-term deal and watched him become the greatest center fielder in club history. 5. Cubs/Pirates, 2003 Needing some extra pop for their 2003 run, the Cubs got it for many more years, getting Aramis Ramirez from the Pirates, who inexplicably still had two years left on his contract after the season. The Cubs also gained Kenny Lofton who helped immensely in their stretch run. They gave up Jose Hernandez, who left the Pirates after the year, Matt Bruback, who never has played in the majors, and a guy named Bobby, who was a part-timer for two years and hasn’t played since. 4. Cardinals/A’s, late 2004 In what could end up being a learning experience for the Cubs (Billy Beane calls offering a pitcher!? Don’t answer the phone!), the Cardinals, needing another top starter, trade future top starter Danny Haren, good setup guy Kiko Calero, and prospect Daric Barton to the A’s for Mark Mulder. To call it a disappointing trade for the Cards is quite the understatement. He played no part in the World Series that they won and may have thrown his last pitch this past Wednesday. Haren was one of the best starters in the majors just two years later, and Barton has hit the majors (though hasn’t been very effective yet). 3. Mets/Devil Rays, 2004 Take your pick—Victor Zambrano or Scott Kazmir. This is similar to the Cards/A’s deal, except Cards fans at least got a World Series since then and don’t have to watch Kazmir consistently throw some of the nastiest pitches of the decade while playing for Tampa Bay. 2. Cubs/Marlins, late 2003 Hee Seop Choi hit .218 with 8 homers for the Cubs in 2003. The Marlins felt that was enough for them to accept him for rising star Derrek Lee, who had just played a huge part in upsetting the Cubs in the NLCS and winning the World Series. The next season, Choi made it just over half the season in Miami before being traded again, and Lee was enjoying another solid season that led into one of the best seasons anyone has had this decade. 1. Giants/Twins Giants receive: A.J. Pierzynski Twins receive: Boof Bonser, Francisco Liriano, and Joe Nathan Brian Sabean must have been on crack.
Mulder's latest 16 pitch effort wants me to move that up...but not sure how it breaks into these top 3....my goodness, D. Lee for Hee Soop Choi!
I love that Hee Seop Choi was on the list twice. When your career highlight is being on the wrong end of two of the worst trades of the decade, you've really made the big time. Kris Benson for John Maine and Jorge Julio isn't far from making the list, either.
#5's a guy named "Bobby" was actually Bobby Hill. A University of Miami standout 2B who was drated in the second round. He was one of the focal points of that trade and unfortunately for Pitt couldnt pan out. They were trying to fill the void left by Warren Morris (another college stud 2B) who didnt work out.
How Victor Zambrano for Scott Kazmir isnt #1 on that list is beyond me. You could argue that at least Pierzynski is a very good player and that Sabean just overpaid in the middle of a pennant race. Zambrano was never good. Hes a 2 or 3 time loser in the AL triple crown (Wild pitchers, hit batters, walks). Lee is always hurt and not nearly worth an ace caliber SP. The Scott Kazmir deal is Nolan Ryan part two for Met fans and the sad thing is EVERY single met fan knew it when the trade was made. At the very least Zambrano for Kazmir is 1A.
I don't think Kazmir-Zambrano is #1, but definitely #2. That Pierzynski-Bonser/Nathan/Liriano trade was just all kinds of awful. A stud closer AND a stellar young pitcher? And even Bonser was at least a serviceable pitcher, though he's been lousy this year.
Ya but you also have to weigh in what the other team received. Liriano and Nathan collectively are better then Kazmir as Nathan is the one that tilts that comparison. But Pierzynski is all kinds of better then Victor Zambrano. So the Giants at least got someone good back, a multiple time all star catcher, while the Mets got a guy who basically survived a year before blowing out his elbow and not catching on with anyone since.
Most ironic part of that deal was that New York (Steve Phillips?) listed Kazmir's high probability for an elbow injury as key reason for trading him...
And how is Bartolo Colon for Cliff Lee, Grady sizemore, and Brandon Phillips not on that list!?!?!? The only acceptable logic for that deal not being there is that they cut Minaya a break citing the uncertainty of the Expo franchise when the deal was made. But its pretty damn awful. The Phillies getting nothing back for Bobby Abreu also could easily have a place on this list.
Dan Duquette was the GM at that point. Peterson thought he could fix Zambrano in 10 minutes. And little Jeffrey Wilpon thought it would be a great idea to go for it since the Mets were only like 5 out of the WC at that point. In the meantime Kazmir pitched better as a rookie the following season then Zambrano would ever pitch. That trade led to Omar's hiring though so I cant be so upset even if it does haunt us for the next 20 years which it probably will.
Heathcliff Slocumb for Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek. PS - I remember the Beckett-Ramirez trade being lauded as one of the worst ever by a certain poster on FH back in 2006.
Worse for who? The Sox or the Marlins? Id say thats a pretty even deal at this point. Hanley is arguably the best SS in the NL and Beckett and Lowell have obviously had huge success. EDIT: That Seattle deal with Slocumb was ungodly but it wasnt in this decade was it?
Good point, I didn't even think of the fact that it wasn't this decade. The poster (a Yankee fan) claimed it was one of the worst trades EVER for the Red Sox because Beckett pitched so poorly in '06. Funny how two years later, Beckett is the best big game pitcher in baseball.
We saved a ton of money by not signing an overpaid player. I loved Bobby while he was with the Phils, but he is overpaid, just like Todd Helton is here in Colorado,and Delgado in NY, if you just check their production. The Phils have used that money to sign quality players (JRoll, Chase, etc.).
I actually think history has been kind to DePodesta in reference to this trade. Lo Duca, as beloved as he was, is now villified in L.A. as it turned out he was a wife cheating, illegal gambling steroid freak who turned a lot of his teammates on to the juice. I think Paul knew about the roids and in turn, jettisoned him out of town, and rightfully so, even though he knew he would take the heat. The other part of this equation was that L.A. had a deal in place to bring Randy Johnson to the team along with Charles Johnson to catch. Charles had a fit and said he would refuse to report if traded back to L.A. so the secondhalf of the deal that would have solidified the front end of the rotation (with Penny and Johnson) with an offensive catch in Johnson, turned out to be nothing more than Penny and Choi when the Diamondbacks backed out due to Johnson's reluctance. Beyond that, Penny has been a good starter for L.A. while Mota, and Encarnacion did next to nothing and Lo Duca ended up being the creep that he is. As for the Giants-Twins trade. The best part is that the Giants thought they had STOLEN A.J. A.J. got along with no one at all in S.F. and had probably his worst years as a pro with them. They were happy to get rid of him only to be burned twice as he turned his career around in Chicago.
He didn't just call it the worst trade in Red Sox history but the worst trade in baseball history. Not only did we lose Hanley we also lost Anibel Sanchez who pitched a no-hitter for the fish and has had like 2 wins since. All we got back was the best big game pitcher in baseball with a reasonable contract and a 3B who had a career year and won WS MVP.
i know it doesn't deserve to be on the list but rafael soriano to atl for horacio ramirez gets me everytime...soriano was/is young and had/has explosive stuff, horacio ramirez was garbage in the NL and even worse in the AL...ugggggggh
There was proof Depodesta knew about Loduca's roid use in the Mitchell report when they took a significant excerpt from an email from Depodesta's file....
Good point, I forgot about that. So yes, Paul knew what he was doing in getting rid of him. Of course, he kept Gagne who was juicing through his eyeballs so perhaps his hypocracy only goes so far...
