Worst MLB Trades This Millenium?

[Guest Rotblatt]

I ask because over at SoSH, there was some off-hand discussion about the worst MLB trade in this millenium. Zambrano for Kazmir came up, but was immediately trumped by the following trade on November 14, 2003:

AJ Pierzynski

AJ ($365K), coming off a career-high OPS+ of 114 at the age of 26 in 2003, put up an OPS+ of 85 in 2004 for San Francisco, who failed to reach the playoffs. He made $3.5M that year. In December 2005, San Francisco released him.

for Joe Nathan,

In 2003 for the Giants, Joe Nathan ($300K) became a full-time reliever for the first time in his career, and dominated, amassing an ERA+ of 145, 1.06 WHIP while striking out over a batter per inning. In 2004 ($440K), he assumed closing responsibilities for the Twins, and converted 44 saves with a historic 292 ERA+, 0.98 WHIP. He continued to strike out a batter per inning and dramatically improved his control, making him unarguably one of the most effective relievers that year. The Twins were eliminated in the first round against the Yankees.

In 2005, Nathan ($2.1M) picked up where he left off, converting 43 saves, although his ERA+ did rise to a still magnificant 163 (0.97 WHIP).

Now, that alone is probably enough to make it into the top 50 worst trades, right? But it gets oh-so-much better.

Francisco Liriano,

At the age of 19 in 2003, Francisco Liriano had already established himself as a good pitching prospect through a solid stint at Hagerstown in 2002, where he put up a 3.49 ERA, 1.15 WHIP with 9.56 K/9 & 3.49 BB/9. However, he was shut down for most of 2003 with shoulder problems. Going into the season, he was rated San Francisco's 6th best prospect by BA in 2003.

In 2004 for the Twins, he struggled a bit in A+ (4.00 ERA, 1.38 WHIP) but continued to display incredible power (9.62 K/9) & good control (3.31 BB/9). He advanced to AA for just under 40 innings, and was effective (3.18 ERA) while maintaining his peripherals.

In 2005, he had a solid start at AA, then everything suddenly clicked when he was promoted to AAA: 1.78 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 11.08 K/9, 2.37 BB/9.

He is now widely considered one of the best pitching prospects in the minors, and is currently sitting impatiently in the Twin's bullpen (11.3 IP, 0.79 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 16 K, 4 BB) for Lohse or Silva to finally get the boot.

Boof Bonser

Boof Bonser was ranked 11th best prospect in 2001, 2nd in 2002, then dropped to 6th going in to 2003 at 21 years old. In 2003, he struggled a bit in AA, putting up a 4.00 ERA & WHIP of 1.40. He put up comparable numbers in AA in 2004, but significantly dropped his BB/9 rate (4.47 to 3.27) & increased his K/9 from 6.87 to 8.51. He made similar strides in AAA last year, posting a K/9 of 9.43 & a BB/9 of 3.20. Nonetheless, his ERA & his WHIP ended up at a solid but unspectacular 3.99 at 1.31, respectively.

Like Liriano in 2005, Bonser seems like he might have put everything together this year, posting a 0.75 ERA & 0.83 WHIP in 24 AAA innings. He has a K/9 of 8.63 & a BB/9 of 3.0

and cash.

Now, clearly there's some speculation there--that Liriano & Bonser will be as good as advertised, but given the success of the Twinkies, I'm not betting against them.

Anyway, can anyone top that?

title edited to include only trades in this millenium

[Guest Edgy DC]

Unfortunately, most Met fans can.

It's hard to speak about these things as ever when they're in progress though. And as well as Met fans should know Nolan Ryan, Frank Estrada, Don Rose, and Leroy Stanton for Jim Fregosi, most Sox fans should know Jeff Bagwell for Larry Anderson.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Even if I knew nothing about him but his name, I'd want Boof Bonser on my team.

[Guest Rotblatt]

="Edgy DC"]Unfortunately, most Met fans can. It's hard to speak about these things as ever when they're in progress though. And as well as Met fans should know Nolan Ryan, Frank Estrada, Don Rose, and Leroy Stanton for Jim Fregosi, most Sox fans should know Jeff Bagwell for Larry Anderson.

Good point. I think I'll change the title of the thread.

[Frayed Knot]

I knew about the others but hadn't realized that Liriano also came in that deal.

WOW!

Now obviously he was much further from fruition at the time of the deal but most pundits had him as the best pitching prospect on the horizon this past winter and he's just about ready to go now. Twinkies have had amongst the worst pitching so far in this young season and observers are counting the days until he's moved into the rotation.

[Guest abogdan]

Kazmir for Zambrano isn't even the worst Mets trade of the millenium. How about Jason Bay et al for Steve Reed?

[Guest Iubitul]

Doyle Alexander for John Smoltz
Frank Robinson for Milt Pappas, Jack Baldschun and Dick Simpson

[Guest Edgy DC]

]How about Jason Bay et al for Steve Reed?

That's beats the ones I was thinking 'bout: Payton/Thompson and Wall/Trammell.

[The Big O]

This reminds me of a six degrees-ish thread Edgy used to do about longest-running trade returns. Maybe there's a thread somewhere.

Seems like most of our current roster was signed, not traded, and the longest trade I could come up with was Vance Wilson (drafted 1993) for Anderson Hernandez. I'm sure there are longer ones involving an endless parade of minor leaguer swaps. I wonder how far back they'd go.

We still have a thread like that? Can anyone come up with a trade remnant dating to pre-1993?

Edit: Holy hell, Luis Lopez. Thanks JD.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Tim Bogar is your man.

[smg58]

Frayed Knot wrote: Twinkies have had amongst the worst pitching so far in this young season and observers are counting the days until he's moved into the rotation.

Not to mention his fantasy owners...

And after the Giants pitching staff called AJ a cancer, he goes on to call games for the best rotation baseball has seen in a while, whith evidently no complaints. Talk about adding insult to injury.

Bay for Reed is a classic 20/20 hindsight deal. I remember Phillips insisting on getting Jason Middlebrook added to the deal, which makes me wonder if Bay would have stayed with us otherwise. Of course the Padres turned around and traded him for Brian Giles, which is the one thing the Pirates have done right this millennium.

[Frayed Knot]

Yeah it was Middlebrook who Phillips was really after on that Bay deal.
Wall had had a good season a year or two earlier and Phillips - as he often seemed to do - stretched to find that elusive "shut-down" set-up man. Instead, he was an injured version of what we already had several of: Wendell, White, Franco.

Bay was a bit of a late bloomer - possibly because he flew under the radar and wasn't as immersed in high-level baseball coaching while growing up in British Columbia - who was traded by 3 orgs (including TO US by Omar) before becoming a star. I wonder if the presence of a Moneyball-type stats nerd back then could have encouraged the powers at be to keep Bay around. Sometimes those not tabbed early on as PROSPECTS!!!! (lower-round picks, minor league FAs) aren't noticed and nutured the way they should be when they start succeeding in the minors.

[Theoldmole]

Ernie Broglio for Lou Brock.

[Gwreck]

Iubitul wrote: Doyle Alexander for John Smoltz

I know a big Tiger fan who still defends this trade. Without Alexander, Detroit wouldn't have won the division and made the playoffs. This isn't a Larry Andersen-for-Bagwell type of deal, where Andersen did squat for the Red Sox.

[Centerfield]

Did we trade Isringhausen for Billy Taylor? That one wasn't so good.

[Guest Yancy Street Gang]

Technically in the last millenium, but the Melvin Mora for Mike Bordick trade didn't turn out too well.

[Guest Spacemans Bong]

Gwreck wrote: ="Iubitul"]Doyle Alexander for John Smoltz I know a big Tiger fan who still defends this trade. Without Alexander, Detroit wouldn't have won the division and made the playoffs. This isn't a Larry Andersen-for-Bagwell type of deal, where Andersen did squat for the Red Sox.

Andersen did plenty for the Red Sox. 22 innings at a 1.23 ERA, desperately shoring up a bullpen in need of arms after Jeff Reardon's back surgery.

Problem is like John Smoltz and the Tigers, the Red Sox gave up gold when only grain was needed. They could have given up Joe Blow and gotten the trade.

[Diamond Dad]

The good, the bad, and

Good: Wes Garner and Calvin Schiraldi for Bobby Ojeda. (Red Sox fans should remember that one -- worked out pretty well for the Mets on both ends)

Neil Allen and Rick Ownby for Keith Hernandez

Bob Baily for Sid Fernandez

Two stiff minor leaguers to Texas for Ron Darling

Bad: Lenny Dykstra for Juan Samuel

The aforementioned Nolan Ryan (and others) for Jim Fragosi

Dare we even mention Doug Flynn and Pat Zachary for Tom Seaver?

But the Mets aren't the worst . . .

What about the Cubs getting Sammy Sosa from the Rangers for some aging outfielder whose name I forget

Or the Expos trading Randy Johnson to the Mariners for one season's worth of a lefty starter whose name escapes me

Or Lou Brock from the Cubs to the Cardinals for Ernie Broglio

Or Mark McGuire from the As for T.J. Matthews and Blake Stein (although that was a free agent salary dump deal)

And of course . . . the Babe (Sorry, SoSH)

[Theoldmole]

You;re forgetting Ed Hearn for David Cone.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

Diamond Dad wrote: The good, the bad, and Bob Baily for Sid Fernandez Two stiff minor leaguers to Texas for Ron Darling

Bob Bailor.

Not two Minor League stiffs -- a rapidly aging Lee Mazzilli (they also got Terrell who went for HoJo in a steal).

[Guest Edgy DC]

Yeah, we got two stiff minor leaguers for Mazzilli. Then we thawed them out.

[Frayed Knot]

]What about the Cubs getting Sammy Sosa from the Rangers for some aging outfielder whose name I forget

Sammy actually went to Chicago's south side first, being traded to the ChiSox by Texas for Harold Baines 'mongst others.
He then did the cross-town shuttle - while he still had a rep as a good glove/light hitting OFer - in exchange for the aging George Bell.