MLB Power Rankings: The worst trade deadline deal every team has made
By Tim Boyle
20) MLB Power Rankings: Chicago Cubs, Josh Donaldson and more for Rich Harden
The Chicago Cubs haven’t been perfect at the trade deadline. In this instance, they were the big losers. This trade took place prior to the 2008 deadline. Sean Gallagher, Matt Murton, Eric Patterson, and Josh Donaldson were sent to the Oakland Athletics for Chad Gaudin and Rich Harden. The obvious name that stands out is Donaldson. He’d become a star with the Athletics and later with several other teams. If not for his inclusion, this wouldn’t be such an awful trade. Gaudin didn’t help either with his 6.26 ERA. Harden was elite for the Cubs in 2008, going 5-1 with a 1.77 ERA in 12 starts. Unfortunately, he got rocked by the Los Angeles Dodgers in his one postseason start.
19) MLB Power Rankings: Atlanta Braves, The acquisition of Hector Olivera from the Dodgers
The July 30, 2015, trade between the Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, and Atlanta Braves had a lot of moving parts. A total of 13 players were moved. Two of the biggest pieces involved were pitcher Alex Wood going to the Dodgers and Hector Olivera going to the Braves. Wood struggled in 2015 but was a quality arm for the Dodgers for a pair of seasons later on with his fantastic 2017 campaign standing out most. More notably was how poorly Olivera performed for the Braves. He played in just 30 games for them combined in 2015 and 2016. So fed up with his performance, he was dealt the following summer to the San Diego Padres for Matt Kemp and cash.
18) MLB Power Rankings: Tampa Bay Rays, Nelson Cruz rental for Joe Ryan
The Tampa Bay Rays are known for winning trades. They’re smart. They’re savvy. They also made a recent blunder at the trade deadline when they rented Nelson Cruz for a couple of weeks. Looking for some pop in 2021, they picked up Cruz from the Minnesota Twins. Calvin Faucher joined him in exchange for Drew Strotman and Joe Ryan. Ryan is well on his way to becoming an ace for the Twins if he’s not already. He’s the kind of pitcher the Rays would love to have. This one could age much worse as time goes on. After all, Cruz batted only .226/.283/.442 for the Rays in 238 plate appearances.
17) MLB Power Rankings: Miami Marlins, The Andrew Cashner overpay
The 2016 Miami Marlins trade for Andrew Cashner was a complete overpay. Cashner, Tayron Guerrero, and Colin Rea all went from the San Diego Padres to the Marlins for Carter Capps, Luis Castillo, Jarred Cosart, and Josh Naylor. Cashner wasn’t very good at all for the Marlins, pitching to a 5.98 ERA and winning only one game for them in 2016. The biggest loss for the Marlins in this trade was giving up Castillo who’d become a successful big league pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds later on and now with the Seattle Mariners.
16) MLB Power Rankings: Cleveland Guardians/Indians, Richie Sexson to the Brewers
Richie Sexson was one of those players for the Cleveland Indians who looked like he’d become a star slugger. Finding playing time wasn’t always the easiest thing. This was one of the reasons why Cleveland traded him to the Milwaukee Brewers in the summer of 2000. Sexson would smack over 300 career home runs and reach the 45 mark twice with the Brewers. The trade itself was a massive one with reliever Bob Wickman being the biggest grab for Cleveland in the trade. They needed much more than him, though. Despite some very good years in Cleveland, Wickman would only ever toss one postseason inning. They should have kept Sexson or traded him in a more impactful deal.