Fansided

1 trade every MLB team would like to have back

By Drew Koch

Florida Marlins third baseman Miguel Cabrera celebrates a home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks August 13, 2006 in Phoenix. The Marlins won 6 - 5. (Photo by A. Messerschmidt/Getty Images)
Florida Marlins third baseman Miguel Cabrera celebrates a home run against the Arizona Diamondbacks August 13, 2006 in Phoenix. The Marlins won 6 - 5. (Photo by A. Messerschmidt/Getty Images) /
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Hall of Fame inductee John Smoltz
COOPERSTOWN, NY – JULY 26: Hall of Fame inductee John Smoltz looks on during the Induction Ceremony at National Baseball of Hall of Fame on July 26, 2015 in Cooperstown, New York. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Arizona Diamondbacks/Getty Images) /

1 trade the Detroit Tigers want to take back: John Smoltz

It’s not every day that a team trades a future Hall of Famer for an aging veteran starter. But that’s exactly what the Detroit Tigers did back in 1987. The Tigers dealt rising pitching prospect John Smoltz to the Atlanta Braves for 36-year-old starter Doyle Anderson.

Now, let’s not overly criticize the Tigers for this move. Alexander went 9-0 with Detroit after being traded and helped the team make a run down the stretch that found them in the playoffs. However, what they gave up turned out to be one of the greatest pitchers of his generation.

Smoltz was synonymous with the Braves’ impeccable run during the 1990s. Along with fellow starters Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux, Smoltz formed one of the most impressive starting rotations in baseball and was key to the Braves’ championship run in 1995.

John Smoltz appeared in eight All-Star Games and won the NL Cy Young Award in 1996 while going 24-8 with a 2.94 ERA. Smoltz led the league that season in wins, innings pitched, and strikeouts. Smoltz was a first-ballot Hall of Famer and was inducted into Cooperstown in 2015 after a 21-year career in the big leagues.

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