The absolute worst trade in the history of every MLB team
By Tim Boyle
Worst trade in Boston Red Sox history: Selling Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees
Is there any question about what the worst trade the Boston Red Sox made is? No move in the history of sports may be more notorious than the 1919 sale of Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees.
Ruth wasn’t even traded for players. It was cash! The root of all evil turned the Yankees into a powerhouse club and began the Curse of the Bambino.
Until the Red Sox were able to win it all in 2004, they had to be constantly reminded of their owner’s misguided move. Although the curse has been broken, this is one of those trades, even more than 100 years later, you have to mention when talking about the worst moves ever made.
Worst trade in Chicago Cubs history: Lou Brock to the St. Louis Cardinals
Sure, it’s not quite up there with the Red Sox selling Babe Ruth to the Yankees but any deal between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals has the potential to be one where it’s tough to live down. This happened with the 1964 trade involving Lou Brock.
Brock was struggling at the time with the Cubs, batting .251/.300/.340 with 10 stolen bases in 52 games. Once dealt to the Cardinals, he reached a whole new level. He managed to slash .348/.387/.527 for them in his first 103 games for St. Louis. Add in 44 stolen bases and the iconic base thief we came to know was born.
Without diving too into what the players involved accomplished, we can already tell how much more this benefited St. Louis—the 1964 and 1967 World Series winners. Brock became a Hall of Famer and one of the best Cardinals ever. The Cardinals even picked up Jack Spring and Paul Toth in the deal for Ernie Broglio, Doug Clemens, and a near the end of his career Bobby Shantz. Brock, however, is the real prize.
Worst trade in Chicago White Sox history: Sammy Sosa to the Chicago Cubs
Why not stick with a theme and talk about rivals trading with each other? Although the two Chicago teams aren’t rivals on the field so much, their geographical location makes them competitors. In March of 1992, Ken Patterson was traded for George Bell of the Cubs. Oh and Sammy Sosa was involved in the deal, too.
Say what you want about Sosa. He may not have aged well in the history books due to his direct connection with the Steroid Era. However you may feel, there is no denying this was a huge win for the Cubs and even worse for the Chicago White Sox.
Sosa would hit 545 home runs with the Cubs after some big struggles with the White Sox. Bell would combine to hit 38 in his two seasons on the Southside before retiring.