The absolute worst trade in the history of every MLB team

Worst trade in Texas Rangers history: Trading Alex Rodriguez and his huge contract away for not very much in return from the New York Yankees

I suppose signing Alex Rodriguez to his massive contract was the first mistake the Texas Rangers made. It was a somewhat foolish errand when they could have allocated the money to several different places instead of just one star player.

Rodriguez played well for him but it apparently wasn’t a match. So in February of 2004, they traded him to the New York Yankees for Alfonso Soriano and Joaquin Arias. A-Rod would continue to put up massive numbers while with New York.

Down in Texas, Arias played only 91 games in parts of four seasons, never once hitting a home run for the team. Soriano was a power-hitting second baseman but not much more. Texas would end up trading him after two seasons to the Washington Nationals for Armando Galarraga, Termel Sledge, and Brad Wilkerson. Even all of those players combined don’t match

Worst trade in Toronto Blue Jays history: Roy Halladay to the Philadelphia Phillies

When you trade a guy like Roy Halladay, you better get something good in return. Possibly the last great workhorse of Major League Baseball, the Toronto Blue Jays traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies in December of 2009.

Halladay would win a Cy Young the very next year and finish second the following season, too. He managed to toss a perfect game and no-hitter that same year.

All it took for the Phillies to land him was a package of Travis d’Arnaud, Kyle Drabek, and Michael Taylor. Only Drabek ever played even an inning for the Blue Jays. His 5.27 ERA with them answers why this is the worst trade the Blue Jays ever made.

Worst trade in Washington Nationals/Montreal Expos history: Randy Johnson to the Seattle Mariners

The Washington Nationals have made some bad trades. They haven’t been around long enough in their current incarnation, however, for us to confidently label any as their worst. To find that, we have to go back to their Montreal Expos days.

Randy Johnson was incredibly wild in the early part of his career with the Expos. In mid-1989, the team decided to send him to the Seattle Mariners in a rare May trade. Gene Harris and Brian Holman would join him. The Expos received Mark Langston and Mike Campbell.

Langston pitched well but he was only a rental for the rest of 1989. Meanwhile, Johnson became one of the most feared lefties in our lifetime.