Worst trades of all time

[thedude]

Ty Cobb for a box of donuts

Walter Johnson for a suit


I am not making those up.

Is this really true?

I don't know if those are true or not, but i do know were playing minor league independent league ball.
Johnson was playing in the Southern Idaho League, and was so sure that he wouldn't make the Senators he requested a return train ticket from the team before he headed East.

[CadensDad]

Smoltz trade I think has the biggest longterm effect of all of them

[j24jags]

I know Kazmir hasn't put it all together yet, but Victor Zambrano for Scott Kazmir could potentially be on this list...

[WaCougMBS]

This one always sticks out in my mind:

Grady Sizemore Cliff Lee, Brandon Phillips, and Lee Stevens...

For Bartolo Colón and Tim Drew

[Matthias]

Smoltz trade I think has the biggest longterm effect of all of them

From someone else's list, this looks to be a bigger long-term effect

November 29, 1971 – The Cincinnati Reds trade infielders Lee May, Tommy Helms, and Jimmy Stewart to the Houston Astros for pitcher Jack Billingham, outfielders Ed Armbrister and Cesar Geronimo, infielder Denis Menke, and second baseman Joe Morgan.

In a deal panned by the Cincinnati press, the Reds picked up three big pieces of the Big Red Machine in Morgan, Geronimo, and Billingham. Thanks in large part of this trade, the Reds would run off ten straight winning seasons, five division titles, three National League Championships, and two World Series titles. In return, they would trade May, who had just come off of a 39 home run season. He remained productive, but wouldn’t be a superstar. Helms was average, and Jimmy Stewart would win fame and fortune in the movie It’s a Wonderful Life.

[Carnac]

Ruth to the Yankees for 80K and an 86 year curse on Red Sox fans ranks right up there.

[jediknight]

Ken Griffey Jr. to Reds for Mike Cameron and others= Worst trade all time.
Jr. was the best player in the game,and in his prime at the time of the trade.He was 30yrs. old coming off of 4 seasons averaging 52 hr's and 140+ RBI's. The hopes in Cincinnati were so high. They tore down a perfectly good stadium, to build one w/ a short porch in left for him. If you look at his stats, mainly RBI's and Hit totals per year, before and after the trade it's like night and day. The Reds thought they were getting Babe Ruth in his prime, what they really got was something I still can't put into words. Just year after year of not even being able to play a full season. Some might say the injuries were just bad luck, but the batting AVG. was also considerably lower than his seattle days. I think most of the Reds fans are still trying to get their jaw off the floor. But some are like in a state of long term shock of 9 yrs. that they don't even realize what just happened, because of the unbelievability of it all. Adding to the lack of play and low stats, the Reds have had losing seasons ever since Griffey came. I challenge anyone to post a baseball trade that has more disappointment, and a total turn for the worse affecting an entire organization and city.