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What are the top 10 baseball blunders ever?
- Thread starter min0 lee
- Start date
1) What is the biggest blunder in Angels franchise history?
1986: Manager Gene Mauch lifting starter Mike Witt in Game 5 of ALCS; bullpen blows lead.
Yet another heartbreaker for Mauch, who watched reliever Gary Lucas plunk a batter for the first time all year.
1995: Playing catcher Jorge Fabregas and second baseman Damion Easley regularly.
Angels finished one game out of first place, with Fabregas and Easley combining for 653 plate appearances and sub-.300 on-base percentage.
1997: Signing free agent pitcher Ken Hill to three-year, $16 million deal.
Usually hurt, Hill won only 18 games in three seasons.
1998: Signing free agent Mo Vaughn to six-year, $80 million deal.
In his first game, Vaughn fell into the dugout, and eventually lasted only three seasons with the Angels, who ate a great deal of that contract.
2002: Signing Darin Erstad to four-year, $32 million contract extension.
In the three-plus seasons since, Erstad's hit 18 home runs.
2) What is the biggest blunder in Athletics franchise history?
1974: Owner Charlie Finley fails to pay annuity to Catfish Hunter ...
. . . leading to Hunter becoming free agent and signing with Yankees.
1980-1981: Billy Martin uses -- and perhaps abuses -- his starting pitchers.
Martin made Mike Norris, Rick Langford, Matt Keough, and Steve McCatty, and he broke them, too.
1987: Bring back Reggie Jackson for one last season.
Sentiment kills as Jackson, 41, bats .220 and A's finish four games out of first place.
1988: Release catcher Mickey Tettleton
Yes, the A's had Terry Steinbach. But Tettleton would hit 288 home runs after the A?s cut him loose.
2004: Trade Tim Hudson to Braves for Charles Thomas, Dan Meyer and Juan Cruz.
Since the trade all three ex-Braves have seen most of their action in the minors, and none look like future stars.
3) What is the biggest blunder in Blue Jays franchise history?
1979-1981: Try to turn Danny Ainge into a baseball player.
Ainge, an excellent basketball player, got into 211 games with the Jays and batted .220 with unsightly ''peripheral'' stats.
1998: Manager Tim Johnson lies about Vietnam War experiences.
Johnson, with a promising future, was fired when he couldn't escape the questions about his self-mythologizing.
1998: Jays trade Woody Williams to Padres for Joey Hamilton.
Hamilton won 14 games for Jays; Williams won 30 games for Padres and is still pitching today.
2001: Jays trade David Wells to White Sox for Mike Sirotka.
Sirotka, who was injured when traded, hasn't pitched since.
2003: Jays sign Eric Hinske to five-year, $15 million contract extension.
Coming off Rookie of the Year season, Hinske immediately went into the tank and hasn't climbed out since.
4) What is the biggest blunder in Devil Rays franchise history?
1997: Trading Bobby Abreu to Phillies for Kevin Stocker
In fairness, without a shortstop you'll have a lot more singles.
1999: Using No. 1 overall draft pick on Josh Hamilton.
Seven years later, they're still waiting.
1999: Signing Greg Vaughn for three years, $24 million.
He was decent in Year One, awful in Two and Three.
2001: Giving up Roberto Hernandez and Cory Lidle to get Ben Grieve.
In three seasons with Rays, Grieve batted .254 with 34 homers.
2006: Insisting that B.J. Upton might really be a shortstop.
He made a ton of errors in '05, and is on pace for another ton in '06.
5) What is the biggest blunder in Indians franchise history?
1960: Trading Rocky Colavito to Tigers for Harvey Kuenn.
Trader Frank Lane's most famous deal, and his most reviled.
1965: Trading Tommy John and Tommie Agee to White Sox for Rocky Colavito.
Fans wanted Colavito back, but they would have liked John and Agee more.
1972: Trading Graig Nettles to Yankees.
Indians smart to get Nettles from the Twins, but dumb to trade him.
1989: Signing free agent Keith Hernandez to big two-year deal.
He batted .200 in 1990 and didn't even play in '91.
1998: Trading Brian Giles to Pirates for Ricardo Rincon.
The Pirates eventually traded Giles for Jason Bay and Oliver Perez; the Indians eventually traded Rincon for Marshall McDougall.
6) What is the biggest blunder in Mariners franchise history?
1979: Used No. 1 overall draft pick on Al Chambers.
With the No. 2 pick, Mets drafted Tim Leary.
1980: Hiring Maury Wills as manager.
In his short stint, Wills 'led' the M's to 26-56 record and alienated just about everybody in sight.
1986: Trading Danny Tartabull to Royals for Scott Bankhead and Mike Kingery.
Tartabull flamed out quickly, but he'd have been useful for a few years.
1997: Trading Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek to Red Sox for Heathcliff Slocumb.
Nine years later, Lowe and Varitek still productive major leaguers; Slocumb went 2-9 with 4.97 ERA and 13 saves with M's.
2004: Signing free agent third baseman Adrian Beltre.
After one big season with Dodgers, Beltre got five-year, $64 million contract from M's; complete disaster since.
7) What is the biggest blunder in Orioles franchise history?
1985: Earl Weaver brought back as manager after two years away.
The magic was gone, and Weaver lasted just a season and a half.
1989: Drafted pitcher Ben McDonald with No. 1 overall pick.
McDonald never really panned out; they could have drafted Frank Thomas.
1991: Trading Curt Schilling, Steve Finley, Pete Harnisch to Astros for Glenn Davis.
Davis's back problems made this deal a complete disaster for O's.
1997: Owner Peter Angelos.forcing manager Davey Johnson to resign.
A few hours later, Johnson was named Manager of the Year.
1998: Signing free agent Albert Belle to five-year, $65 million contract.
Due to hip injury, Belle played only two seasons for O's.
8) What is the biggest blunder in Rangers franchise history?
1969: Hiring Ted Williams as manager.
It worked for one season, but Senators quickly became laughingstock again.
1973: Bringing No. 1 draft pick David Clyde straight to majors.
Clyde filled the stands, but his career quickly derailed.
1989: Trading Sammy Sosa and Wilson Alvarez to White Sox for Harold Baines.
Not one of Dubya's finest moments as Rangers owner.
1993: Trading Robb Nen and Kurt Miller to Marlins for Cris Carpenter.
This Cris Carpenter won exactly six games after the deal.
2001: Spending $12 million on Andres Galarraga, Ken Caminiti, Randy Velarde.
All three veterans tanked, which cost GM Doug Melvin his job.
9) What is the biggest blunder in Red Sox franchise history?
1919: Selling Babe Ruth to Yankees.
Some writers thought the Yankees were taking the big risk.
1972: Trading Sparky Lyle to Yankees for Danny Cater.
Lyle's absence cost the Red Sox a division title or three.
1986: John McNamara not replacing Bill Buckner in Game 6.
Even before that, he should have pinch-hit for Buckner in the eighth.
1990: Trading Jeff Bagwell for Larry Andersen.
Lou Gorman didn't think Bagwell would hit .300 in the majors.
2003: Grady Little leaving Pedro in for too long.
Cost the Red Sox a pennant and Little his job.
10) What is the biggest blunder in Royals franchise history?
1987: Trading David Cone to Mets for Ed Hearn.
Cone won 194 games after the trade; Hearn played in 13 games.
1989: Signing free agents Mark Davis and Storm Davis.
Both were complete flops, and Royals GM Schuerholz moved on to Atlanta.
1992: Protecting David Howard in Expansion Draft, lose Jeff Conine.
Howard was the only shortstop on the roster, never mind that he couldn't hit.
1997: Hiring Tony Muser as manager.
John McGraw wouldn't have won, but Muser was terribly miscast and lasted for nearly five years.
2001: Trading Jermaine Dye and getting Neifi Perez.
Dye just one of Royal stars traded for little in return.
11) What is the biggest blunder in Tigers franchise history?
1948: Trading pitcher Billy Pierce for catcher Aaron Robinson.
Detroit also sent $10,000 in deal; Pierce would win 208 games afterward.
1967: Playing Ray Oyler more often than not.
Oyler batted .207 and Tigers finished a game out of first place.
1988: Letting free agent Kirk Gibson get away.
The Tigers finished one game behind the first-place Red Sox, and Gibson won MVP honors with Dodgers.
2001: Signing Bobby Higginson to four-year contract extension.
In the last year of the deal, the Tigers spent nearly $9 million for two singles.
2002: Hiring Alan Trammell as manager.
Another team burned by an ex-superstar who didn't know how to manage.
12) What is the biggest blunder in Twins franchise history?
1969: Trading Graig Nettles and others to Indians for Luis Tiant and Stan Williams
Williams had one great season with Twins, Tiant released after one injury-abbreviated season.
1972: Trading Rick Dempsey to Yankees for Danny Walton.
Walton batted .176 with theTwins, Dempsey hung around for a long time.
1978: Trading Jesse Orosco to Mets before reaching the majors.
Would eventually pitch in 24 major league seasons.
1983: Using first-round draft pick on Tim Belcher instead of Roger Clemens.
Belcher didn't sign with Twins; 17 other teams passed on Clemens, too.
2002: Releasing David Ortiz.
That's right. They not only didn't want him, they didn't get anything for him.
13) What is the biggest blunder in White Sox franchise history?
1917: Sox replace first baseman Jacques Fournier with Chick Gandil.
Gandil was the lesser player and the Black Sox ringleader.
1959-1960: Bill Veeck trades prospects for veterans.
Off went Norm Cash, Johnny Callison, and others, and away went three or four pennants.
1981: Letting broadcaster Harry Caray get away.
Cubs win! Sox lose!
1985: Hiring broadcaster Hawk Harrelson as general manager.
In just one season, Harrelson managed to turn Carlton Fisk into a left fielder AND fire Tony La Russa.
1992: Trading Sammy Sosa to Cubs for George Bell.
Must anything else be said?
14) What is the biggest blunder in Yankees franchise history?
1960: Stengel gets only two starts out of Whitey Ford in World Series.
Everybody thought Ford should have started Games 1, 4, and 7.
1982: Trading Fred McGriff and others for Dale Murray and Tom Dodd.
McGriff would eventually hit 493 homers; Dodd wouldn't.
1988: Trading Jay Buhner for Ken Phelps.
Immortalized by Frank Costanza, but the McGriff deal was worse.
1995: Buck Showalter doesn't pull David Cone against M's.
Cost Yankees and Showalter, but might put Joe Torre in Hall of Fame.
2003: Joe Torre never uses Mariano Rivera in Game 4.
You can't lose a World Series game in the 12th without ever having used your best reliever
1986: Manager Gene Mauch lifting starter Mike Witt in Game 5 of ALCS; bullpen blows lead.
Yet another heartbreaker for Mauch, who watched reliever Gary Lucas plunk a batter for the first time all year.
1995: Playing catcher Jorge Fabregas and second baseman Damion Easley regularly.
Angels finished one game out of first place, with Fabregas and Easley combining for 653 plate appearances and sub-.300 on-base percentage.
1997: Signing free agent pitcher Ken Hill to three-year, $16 million deal.
Usually hurt, Hill won only 18 games in three seasons.
1998: Signing free agent Mo Vaughn to six-year, $80 million deal.
In his first game, Vaughn fell into the dugout, and eventually lasted only three seasons with the Angels, who ate a great deal of that contract.
2002: Signing Darin Erstad to four-year, $32 million contract extension.
In the three-plus seasons since, Erstad's hit 18 home runs.
2) What is the biggest blunder in Athletics franchise history?
1974: Owner Charlie Finley fails to pay annuity to Catfish Hunter ...
. . . leading to Hunter becoming free agent and signing with Yankees.
1980-1981: Billy Martin uses -- and perhaps abuses -- his starting pitchers.
Martin made Mike Norris, Rick Langford, Matt Keough, and Steve McCatty, and he broke them, too.
1987: Bring back Reggie Jackson for one last season.
Sentiment kills as Jackson, 41, bats .220 and A's finish four games out of first place.
1988: Release catcher Mickey Tettleton
Yes, the A's had Terry Steinbach. But Tettleton would hit 288 home runs after the A?s cut him loose.
2004: Trade Tim Hudson to Braves for Charles Thomas, Dan Meyer and Juan Cruz.
Since the trade all three ex-Braves have seen most of their action in the minors, and none look like future stars.
3) What is the biggest blunder in Blue Jays franchise history?
1979-1981: Try to turn Danny Ainge into a baseball player.
Ainge, an excellent basketball player, got into 211 games with the Jays and batted .220 with unsightly ''peripheral'' stats.
1998: Manager Tim Johnson lies about Vietnam War experiences.
Johnson, with a promising future, was fired when he couldn't escape the questions about his self-mythologizing.
1998: Jays trade Woody Williams to Padres for Joey Hamilton.
Hamilton won 14 games for Jays; Williams won 30 games for Padres and is still pitching today.
2001: Jays trade David Wells to White Sox for Mike Sirotka.
Sirotka, who was injured when traded, hasn't pitched since.
2003: Jays sign Eric Hinske to five-year, $15 million contract extension.
Coming off Rookie of the Year season, Hinske immediately went into the tank and hasn't climbed out since.
4) What is the biggest blunder in Devil Rays franchise history?
1997: Trading Bobby Abreu to Phillies for Kevin Stocker
In fairness, without a shortstop you'll have a lot more singles.
1999: Using No. 1 overall draft pick on Josh Hamilton.
Seven years later, they're still waiting.
1999: Signing Greg Vaughn for three years, $24 million.
He was decent in Year One, awful in Two and Three.
2001: Giving up Roberto Hernandez and Cory Lidle to get Ben Grieve.
In three seasons with Rays, Grieve batted .254 with 34 homers.
2006: Insisting that B.J. Upton might really be a shortstop.
He made a ton of errors in '05, and is on pace for another ton in '06.
5) What is the biggest blunder in Indians franchise history?
1960: Trading Rocky Colavito to Tigers for Harvey Kuenn.
Trader Frank Lane's most famous deal, and his most reviled.
1965: Trading Tommy John and Tommie Agee to White Sox for Rocky Colavito.
Fans wanted Colavito back, but they would have liked John and Agee more.
1972: Trading Graig Nettles to Yankees.
Indians smart to get Nettles from the Twins, but dumb to trade him.
1989: Signing free agent Keith Hernandez to big two-year deal.
He batted .200 in 1990 and didn't even play in '91.
1998: Trading Brian Giles to Pirates for Ricardo Rincon.
The Pirates eventually traded Giles for Jason Bay and Oliver Perez; the Indians eventually traded Rincon for Marshall McDougall.
6) What is the biggest blunder in Mariners franchise history?
1979: Used No. 1 overall draft pick on Al Chambers.
With the No. 2 pick, Mets drafted Tim Leary.
1980: Hiring Maury Wills as manager.
In his short stint, Wills 'led' the M's to 26-56 record and alienated just about everybody in sight.
1986: Trading Danny Tartabull to Royals for Scott Bankhead and Mike Kingery.
Tartabull flamed out quickly, but he'd have been useful for a few years.
1997: Trading Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek to Red Sox for Heathcliff Slocumb.
Nine years later, Lowe and Varitek still productive major leaguers; Slocumb went 2-9 with 4.97 ERA and 13 saves with M's.
2004: Signing free agent third baseman Adrian Beltre.
After one big season with Dodgers, Beltre got five-year, $64 million contract from M's; complete disaster since.
7) What is the biggest blunder in Orioles franchise history?
1985: Earl Weaver brought back as manager after two years away.
The magic was gone, and Weaver lasted just a season and a half.
1989: Drafted pitcher Ben McDonald with No. 1 overall pick.
McDonald never really panned out; they could have drafted Frank Thomas.
1991: Trading Curt Schilling, Steve Finley, Pete Harnisch to Astros for Glenn Davis.
Davis's back problems made this deal a complete disaster for O's.
1997: Owner Peter Angelos.forcing manager Davey Johnson to resign.
A few hours later, Johnson was named Manager of the Year.
1998: Signing free agent Albert Belle to five-year, $65 million contract.
Due to hip injury, Belle played only two seasons for O's.
8) What is the biggest blunder in Rangers franchise history?
1969: Hiring Ted Williams as manager.
It worked for one season, but Senators quickly became laughingstock again.
1973: Bringing No. 1 draft pick David Clyde straight to majors.
Clyde filled the stands, but his career quickly derailed.
1989: Trading Sammy Sosa and Wilson Alvarez to White Sox for Harold Baines.
Not one of Dubya's finest moments as Rangers owner.
1993: Trading Robb Nen and Kurt Miller to Marlins for Cris Carpenter.
This Cris Carpenter won exactly six games after the deal.
2001: Spending $12 million on Andres Galarraga, Ken Caminiti, Randy Velarde.
All three veterans tanked, which cost GM Doug Melvin his job.
9) What is the biggest blunder in Red Sox franchise history?
1919: Selling Babe Ruth to Yankees.
Some writers thought the Yankees were taking the big risk.
1972: Trading Sparky Lyle to Yankees for Danny Cater.
Lyle's absence cost the Red Sox a division title or three.
1986: John McNamara not replacing Bill Buckner in Game 6.
Even before that, he should have pinch-hit for Buckner in the eighth.
1990: Trading Jeff Bagwell for Larry Andersen.
Lou Gorman didn't think Bagwell would hit .300 in the majors.
2003: Grady Little leaving Pedro in for too long.
Cost the Red Sox a pennant and Little his job.
10) What is the biggest blunder in Royals franchise history?
1987: Trading David Cone to Mets for Ed Hearn.
Cone won 194 games after the trade; Hearn played in 13 games.
1989: Signing free agents Mark Davis and Storm Davis.
Both were complete flops, and Royals GM Schuerholz moved on to Atlanta.
1992: Protecting David Howard in Expansion Draft, lose Jeff Conine.
Howard was the only shortstop on the roster, never mind that he couldn't hit.
1997: Hiring Tony Muser as manager.
John McGraw wouldn't have won, but Muser was terribly miscast and lasted for nearly five years.
2001: Trading Jermaine Dye and getting Neifi Perez.
Dye just one of Royal stars traded for little in return.
11) What is the biggest blunder in Tigers franchise history?
1948: Trading pitcher Billy Pierce for catcher Aaron Robinson.
Detroit also sent $10,000 in deal; Pierce would win 208 games afterward.
1967: Playing Ray Oyler more often than not.
Oyler batted .207 and Tigers finished a game out of first place.
1988: Letting free agent Kirk Gibson get away.
The Tigers finished one game behind the first-place Red Sox, and Gibson won MVP honors with Dodgers.
2001: Signing Bobby Higginson to four-year contract extension.
In the last year of the deal, the Tigers spent nearly $9 million for two singles.
2002: Hiring Alan Trammell as manager.
Another team burned by an ex-superstar who didn't know how to manage.
12) What is the biggest blunder in Twins franchise history?
1969: Trading Graig Nettles and others to Indians for Luis Tiant and Stan Williams
Williams had one great season with Twins, Tiant released after one injury-abbreviated season.
1972: Trading Rick Dempsey to Yankees for Danny Walton.
Walton batted .176 with theTwins, Dempsey hung around for a long time.
1978: Trading Jesse Orosco to Mets before reaching the majors.
Would eventually pitch in 24 major league seasons.
1983: Using first-round draft pick on Tim Belcher instead of Roger Clemens.
Belcher didn't sign with Twins; 17 other teams passed on Clemens, too.
2002: Releasing David Ortiz.
That's right. They not only didn't want him, they didn't get anything for him.
13) What is the biggest blunder in White Sox franchise history?
1917: Sox replace first baseman Jacques Fournier with Chick Gandil.
Gandil was the lesser player and the Black Sox ringleader.
1959-1960: Bill Veeck trades prospects for veterans.
Off went Norm Cash, Johnny Callison, and others, and away went three or four pennants.
1981: Letting broadcaster Harry Caray get away.
Cubs win! Sox lose!
1985: Hiring broadcaster Hawk Harrelson as general manager.
In just one season, Harrelson managed to turn Carlton Fisk into a left fielder AND fire Tony La Russa.
1992: Trading Sammy Sosa to Cubs for George Bell.
Must anything else be said?
14) What is the biggest blunder in Yankees franchise history?
1960: Stengel gets only two starts out of Whitey Ford in World Series.
Everybody thought Ford should have started Games 1, 4, and 7.
1982: Trading Fred McGriff and others for Dale Murray and Tom Dodd.
McGriff would eventually hit 493 homers; Dodd wouldn't.
1988: Trading Jay Buhner for Ken Phelps.
Immortalized by Frank Costanza, but the McGriff deal was worse.
1995: Buck Showalter doesn't pull David Cone against M's.
Cost Yankees and Showalter, but might put Joe Torre in Hall of Fame.
2003: Joe Torre never uses Mariano Rivera in Game 4.
You can't lose a World Series game in the 12th without ever having used your best reliever
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The worst move I can think of was a trade the Braves TURNED DOWN...they were offered Howard Johnson for a very aging Dale Murphy and turned it down.
Later they traded him to the Phillies for a cheese-steak.
Later they traded him to the Phillies for a cheese-steak.
1) What's the biggest blunder in Astros franchise history?
1971: Trading Joe Morgan (and others) to Astros for Lee May (and others)
As things developed, this would have been a bad deal for the Astros even if they'd kept Morgan.
1980: Missing J.R. Richard's warning signs
Could anybody have known that Richard was going to suffer a debilitating stroke?
1991: Trading Kenny Lofton and Dave Rohde to Indians for Eddie Taubensee and Willie Blair
Lofton's still playing; Taubensee isn't.
1997: Failing to protect Bobby Abreu in Expansion Draft
The Devil Rays have been ridiculed for trading Abreu to the Phillies after drafting him from the Astros, but the Astros shouldn't have let him get away in the first place.
2003: Didn't make a move and finished one game out of first place
Actually, they did make one move: they traded for Dan Miceli. But if they'd done a bit more, they'd probably have finished ahead of the Cubs.
2) What's the biggest blunder in Braves franchise history?
1975: Sold Joe Niekro to Astros for $35,000
They already had Joe's brother Phil, so maybe they figured they didn't need another of baseball's top knuckleballers (but Joe would win 173 more games).
1983: Traded for Len Barker, then signed him to long-term contract
Braves gave up Brett Butler and Brook Jacoby, then locked up Barker with new five-year deal.
1984: Signed free agent Bruce Sutter to six-year megadeal
For Ted Turner's $10 million, he got three seasons, 40 saves, 4.55 ERA.
2001: John Rocker
Enough said.
2002: Shifted Chipper Jones to left field in favor of Vinny Castilla
Yes, Castilla was a defensive upgrade, but that .268 OBP was a real killer.
3) What's the biggest blunder in Brewers franchise history?
1976: Traded catcher Darrell Porter and pitcher Jim Colborn to Royals for three spare parts
Colborn threw a no-hitter, and Porter immediately re-established himself as one of the game's top catchers.
1982-1984: Shifted Charlie Moore from catcher to right field
Because they absolutely, positively had to get all those walks (not) and power (not) into the lineup.
1984: Let Doug Jones get away
He skipped as minor-league free agent, signed with Indians, and finished with 303 saves.
1985: Drafted B.J. Surhoff with No. 1 overall pick
Surhoff was a good player, but Brewers could have picked Will Clark, Barry Larkin, or Barry Bonds.
1985: Let Tom Candiotti get away
Like Doug Jones, Candiotti was released on October 15, signed with Cleveland, and soon became something of a star.
4) What's the biggest blunder in Cardinals franchise history?
1957: Sold future Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm to Indians, via waivers
This just happened to be the knuckleballer's worst season.
1972: Traded Steve Carlton to Phillies for Rick Wise
And all because Gussie Busch didn't want to pay Carlton an extra $10,000.
1972: Traded Larry Hisle to Twins for pitcher Wayne Granger
Granger won five more games in his career; Hisle later made two All-Star teams.
1974: Sold outfielder Jose Cruz to Astros
Given a chance to play, Cruz quickly became one of the league's best left fielders.
1991: Traded pitcher Ken Hill to Expos for Andres Galarraga
Pre-Rockies, Galarraga batted .243 and spent six weeks on DL; Hill won 41 games in three seasons with Montreal.
5) What's the biggest blunder in Cubs franchise history?
1930: Owner let manager Joe McCarthy get away
Less than one year after leading Cubs to World Series, McCarthy was fired; later he would win eight pennants with Yankees.
1935: Charlie Grimm let pitcher bat for himself
In the 1935 Series, Manager Grimm didn't pinch-hit for pitcher Larry French with a runner on third base, in the ninth inning of a tied Game 7. The Cubs didn't score, and lost in the bottom of the ninth.
1961-1962: Cubs convened College of Coaches
Five different coaches served as 'head coach' during the two seasons, and nobody had any idea who was running the show.
1964: Traded Lou Brock to Cardinals for pitcher Ernie Broglio
It didn't work out, but at the time of the deal nobody could have known that Brock would become a Hall of Famer and Broglio's arm would fall off.
2003: Dusty Baker doesn't call the bullpen
You can blame Bartman, but Baker shouldn't have left Prior in long enough to blow the lead in Game 6 of the NLCS.
6) What's the biggest blunder in Diamondbacks franchise history?
1996: Signing amateurs Travis Lee and John Patterson for $16 million
The two loophole free agents didn't come close to earning their massive signing bonuses.
1999: Using No. 4 overall draft pick on shortstop Corey Myers
Myers still hasn't reached the majors; later in the first round: Barry Zito and Ben Sheets.
2003: Signing Luis Gonzalez to three-year contract extension
A fine player, obviously, but committing $30 million through 2006 just didn't make sense for this franchise.
2003: Traded Curt Schilling to Red Sox for Casey Fossum, Brandon Lyon and Jorge de la Rosa
Maybe they had to trade him, and maybe they should have gotten more in return.
2004: Signing free agent Russ Ortiz to four-year, $33 million deal
This one looked bad at the time . . . and now it looks a lot worse.
7) What's the biggest blunder in Dodgers franchise history?
1982-1991: Lasorda overworking Valenzuela, Hershiser, and R. Martinez
All of them had Hall of Fame talent (or close) and all struggled after years of Lasorda's innings.
1990: Signing free agent Darryl Strawberry to five-year deal
Strawberry lasted only three seasons before being released.
1991: Trading John Wetteland and Tim Belcher to Reds for Eric Davis and Kip Gross
Both Wetteland and Belcher were better, alone, than Davis and Gross together.
1993: Trading Pedro Martinez for Delino DeShields
Everybody in Montreal considered the deal a salary dump. . .
2000: Signing Darren Dreifort for five years and $55 million
In the five seasons of the deal, Dreifort went 9-15.
8) What's the biggest blunder in Giants franchise history?
1960: Moving into Candlestick Park
In 40 seasons, Giants reached two million in attendance only three times.
1971: Trading George Foster to Reds for Frank Duffy and Vern Geishert
In Giants' defense, it did take a while for Foster to establish himself with Reds.
1971: Trading Gaylord Perry to Indians for Sam McDowell
Perry was four years older . . . and would win 161 more games than Sudden Sam after the deal.
1990: Signing free-agent pitcher Bud Black to four-year, $10 million contract
He pitched decently when healthy, but the big contract blew up the existing salary structure.
2003: Trading Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano, and Boof Bonser to Twins for A.J. Pierzynski
Jury's still out on prospects Liriano and Bonser, but Nathan alone has made this one look pretty awful.
9) What's the biggest blunder in Marlins franchise history?
1992: Using their first pick in Expansion Draft to select Nigel Wilson
Wilson went 0-for-16 in 'career' with Marlins
1994: Using their first-round draft pick (No. 5 overall) on Josh Booty
Marlins paid Booty $1.6 million, and he batted .198 in minors.
1997-1998: Trading every high-priced player after winning World Series
Moises Alou, Gary Sheffield, Kevin Brown, Al Leiter...
2004-2005: Trading every high-priced player after winning World Series
Derrek Lee, Josh Beckett, Brad Penny...
2006: Further alienating their fans by dallying with San Antonio
Did anybody really think this would work?
10) What's the biggest blunder in Mets franchise history?
1966: Using No. 1 overall draft pick on Steve Chilcott (instead of Reggie Jackson)
There's never been a candy bar named Steve!
1969: Trading Amos Otis to Royals for Joe Foy
The Mets thought Otis was a bad third baseman; the Royals thought he was a great center fielder.
1971: Trading Nolan Ryan to Angels for Jim Fregosi
The Angels would have taken Gary Gentry, but Gil Hodges preferred to send Ryan off.
1984-1985: Abusing Dwight Gooden's young right arm
Davey Johnson was a great manager, but Gooden threw 277 innings in '85 and was never the same afterward.
1990: Firing Davey Johnson
The Mets were 20-22 when Johnson got fired, and did improve under Bud Harrelson, but not for long.
11) What's the biggest blunder in Nationals franchise history?
1974: Trading Ken Singleton and Mike Torrez to Orioles for Dave McNally and Rich Coggins
On the other hand, it was a great deal for the O's.
1979-1980: Letting Rodney Scott lead off almost every game.
Scott didn't get on base, and the Expos finished two games out in 1979 and one game out in '80.
1989: Trading Randy Johnson to Mariners for Mark Langston
Langston was supposed to put Expos over the top, but instead they finished 12 games out of first place.
1999: Signing lefty setup man Graeme Lloyd for three years, $9 million
Lloyd totaled 101 innings pitched for Expos.
2005: Trading Brad Wilkerson to Rangers for Alfonso Soriano
Soriano gets $10 million, Wilkerson gets $4 million.
12) What's the biggest blunder in Padres franchise history?
1970: Drafting schoolboy catcher Mike Ivie with No. 1 overall pick
Ivie developed mental block about throwing, never really developed.
1982: Trading shortstop Ozzie Smith for shortstop Garry Templeton
Smith's career took off in St. Louis; Templeton's crashed in San Diego.
1989: Trading Sandy Alomar and Carlos Baerga to Indians for Joe Carter
Carter was a good player, of course, but the Padres gave up a lot of young talent.
1993: Trading Fred McGriff to Braves for three prospects.
Cost-cutting move, and none of the prospects panned out.
1998: Claiming Randy Myers off waivers from Blue Jays.
Padres didn't want Braves to get him, were stuck with his big contract for two more injury-plagued seasons.
13) What's the biggest blunder in Phillies franchise history?
1964: Manager Gene Mauch starting two aces on two days of rest
Bunning and Short couldn't save the Phillies down the stretch.
1966: Trading Fergie Jenkins to Cubs for pitcher Larry Jackson
Jenkins went to the Hall of Fame; Jackson good for three seasons before retiring.
1977: Manager Danny Ozark failing to replace Luzinski with better outfielder
Ozark's gaffe cost the Phillies Game 3 of the NLCS, and ultimately the series.
1982: Trading Ryne Sandberg and Larry Bowa to Cubs for Ivan DeJesus
Yes, Sandberg was essentially a throw-in.
1997: Using No. 2 overall draft pick on J.D. Drew, who didn't sign.
Phillies had no intention of paying the $10 million Drew said it would take.
14) What's the biggest blunder in Pirates franchise history?
1927: Trading Kiki Cuyler to Cubs for a couple of no-names
Manager didn't like him, but future Hall of Famer had plenty of good seasons to come.
1928: Selling future Hall of Fame shortstop Joe Cronin to Kansas City
The Pirates had a good shortstop, but Cronin became a great one.
1975: Trading Willie Randolph and two others to Yankees for Doc Medich
Medich won eight games for Pirates; Randolph became a near-Hall of Famer.
1999: Signing free agent Pat Meares to five-year deal for good money
Or rather, bad money from the Pirates' perspective, as Meares hardly played.
2000: Signing free agent Derek Bell to two years, for almost $10 million
Bell played in 46 games before 'Operation Shutdown.'
15) What's the biggest blunder in Reds franchise history?
1957: Trading Curt Flood to Cardinals for three nobodies.
Outfield of Flood, Pinson, and Frank Robinson would have been pretty good.
1965: Trading Frank Robinson to O's for Milt Pappas, etc.
Deal turned Orioles into powerhouse, might have cost Reds a division title in '69.
1984: Hiring Pete Rose as manager
He wasn't a terrible manager, aside from the compulsive gambling.
1995: Letting manager Davey Johnson get away
...after winning a division title. Replacement: Ray Knight, who didn't work out.
2000: Firing manager Jack McKeon, hiring Bob Boone
McKeon dumped less than a year after winning Manager of the Year honors. Replacement: Bob Boone, who really didn't work out.
16) What's the biggest blunder in Rockies franchise history?
1992: Selecting David Nied from Braves with No. 1 pick in Expansion Draft
In four seasons, Nied won 17 games and lost 18.
1998: Hiring Jim Leyland as manager
Not a good fit, and he was gone after just one season.
2000: Signing free agents Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle to long-term mega-contracts.
You know how well this strategy worked.
2001: Signing Todd Helton to nine-year, $142 million deal
Yes he's a wonderful player. But nine years?
2002-2006: Retaining Dan O'Dowd as general manager
Most owners wouldn't be so patient; time will tell.
1971: Trading Joe Morgan (and others) to Astros for Lee May (and others)
As things developed, this would have been a bad deal for the Astros even if they'd kept Morgan.
1980: Missing J.R. Richard's warning signs
Could anybody have known that Richard was going to suffer a debilitating stroke?
1991: Trading Kenny Lofton and Dave Rohde to Indians for Eddie Taubensee and Willie Blair
Lofton's still playing; Taubensee isn't.
1997: Failing to protect Bobby Abreu in Expansion Draft
The Devil Rays have been ridiculed for trading Abreu to the Phillies after drafting him from the Astros, but the Astros shouldn't have let him get away in the first place.
2003: Didn't make a move and finished one game out of first place
Actually, they did make one move: they traded for Dan Miceli. But if they'd done a bit more, they'd probably have finished ahead of the Cubs.
2) What's the biggest blunder in Braves franchise history?
1975: Sold Joe Niekro to Astros for $35,000
They already had Joe's brother Phil, so maybe they figured they didn't need another of baseball's top knuckleballers (but Joe would win 173 more games).
1983: Traded for Len Barker, then signed him to long-term contract
Braves gave up Brett Butler and Brook Jacoby, then locked up Barker with new five-year deal.
1984: Signed free agent Bruce Sutter to six-year megadeal
For Ted Turner's $10 million, he got three seasons, 40 saves, 4.55 ERA.
2001: John Rocker
Enough said.
2002: Shifted Chipper Jones to left field in favor of Vinny Castilla
Yes, Castilla was a defensive upgrade, but that .268 OBP was a real killer.
3) What's the biggest blunder in Brewers franchise history?
1976: Traded catcher Darrell Porter and pitcher Jim Colborn to Royals for three spare parts
Colborn threw a no-hitter, and Porter immediately re-established himself as one of the game's top catchers.
1982-1984: Shifted Charlie Moore from catcher to right field
Because they absolutely, positively had to get all those walks (not) and power (not) into the lineup.
1984: Let Doug Jones get away
He skipped as minor-league free agent, signed with Indians, and finished with 303 saves.
1985: Drafted B.J. Surhoff with No. 1 overall pick
Surhoff was a good player, but Brewers could have picked Will Clark, Barry Larkin, or Barry Bonds.
1985: Let Tom Candiotti get away
Like Doug Jones, Candiotti was released on October 15, signed with Cleveland, and soon became something of a star.
4) What's the biggest blunder in Cardinals franchise history?
1957: Sold future Hall of Famer Hoyt Wilhelm to Indians, via waivers
This just happened to be the knuckleballer's worst season.
1972: Traded Steve Carlton to Phillies for Rick Wise
And all because Gussie Busch didn't want to pay Carlton an extra $10,000.
1972: Traded Larry Hisle to Twins for pitcher Wayne Granger
Granger won five more games in his career; Hisle later made two All-Star teams.
1974: Sold outfielder Jose Cruz to Astros
Given a chance to play, Cruz quickly became one of the league's best left fielders.
1991: Traded pitcher Ken Hill to Expos for Andres Galarraga
Pre-Rockies, Galarraga batted .243 and spent six weeks on DL; Hill won 41 games in three seasons with Montreal.
5) What's the biggest blunder in Cubs franchise history?
1930: Owner let manager Joe McCarthy get away
Less than one year after leading Cubs to World Series, McCarthy was fired; later he would win eight pennants with Yankees.
1935: Charlie Grimm let pitcher bat for himself
In the 1935 Series, Manager Grimm didn't pinch-hit for pitcher Larry French with a runner on third base, in the ninth inning of a tied Game 7. The Cubs didn't score, and lost in the bottom of the ninth.
1961-1962: Cubs convened College of Coaches
Five different coaches served as 'head coach' during the two seasons, and nobody had any idea who was running the show.
1964: Traded Lou Brock to Cardinals for pitcher Ernie Broglio
It didn't work out, but at the time of the deal nobody could have known that Brock would become a Hall of Famer and Broglio's arm would fall off.
2003: Dusty Baker doesn't call the bullpen
You can blame Bartman, but Baker shouldn't have left Prior in long enough to blow the lead in Game 6 of the NLCS.
6) What's the biggest blunder in Diamondbacks franchise history?
1996: Signing amateurs Travis Lee and John Patterson for $16 million
The two loophole free agents didn't come close to earning their massive signing bonuses.
1999: Using No. 4 overall draft pick on shortstop Corey Myers
Myers still hasn't reached the majors; later in the first round: Barry Zito and Ben Sheets.
2003: Signing Luis Gonzalez to three-year contract extension
A fine player, obviously, but committing $30 million through 2006 just didn't make sense for this franchise.
2003: Traded Curt Schilling to Red Sox for Casey Fossum, Brandon Lyon and Jorge de la Rosa
Maybe they had to trade him, and maybe they should have gotten more in return.
2004: Signing free agent Russ Ortiz to four-year, $33 million deal
This one looked bad at the time . . . and now it looks a lot worse.
7) What's the biggest blunder in Dodgers franchise history?
1982-1991: Lasorda overworking Valenzuela, Hershiser, and R. Martinez
All of them had Hall of Fame talent (or close) and all struggled after years of Lasorda's innings.
1990: Signing free agent Darryl Strawberry to five-year deal
Strawberry lasted only three seasons before being released.
1991: Trading John Wetteland and Tim Belcher to Reds for Eric Davis and Kip Gross
Both Wetteland and Belcher were better, alone, than Davis and Gross together.
1993: Trading Pedro Martinez for Delino DeShields
Everybody in Montreal considered the deal a salary dump. . .
2000: Signing Darren Dreifort for five years and $55 million
In the five seasons of the deal, Dreifort went 9-15.
8) What's the biggest blunder in Giants franchise history?
1960: Moving into Candlestick Park
In 40 seasons, Giants reached two million in attendance only three times.
1971: Trading George Foster to Reds for Frank Duffy and Vern Geishert
In Giants' defense, it did take a while for Foster to establish himself with Reds.
1971: Trading Gaylord Perry to Indians for Sam McDowell
Perry was four years older . . . and would win 161 more games than Sudden Sam after the deal.
1990: Signing free-agent pitcher Bud Black to four-year, $10 million contract
He pitched decently when healthy, but the big contract blew up the existing salary structure.
2003: Trading Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano, and Boof Bonser to Twins for A.J. Pierzynski
Jury's still out on prospects Liriano and Bonser, but Nathan alone has made this one look pretty awful.
9) What's the biggest blunder in Marlins franchise history?
1992: Using their first pick in Expansion Draft to select Nigel Wilson
Wilson went 0-for-16 in 'career' with Marlins
1994: Using their first-round draft pick (No. 5 overall) on Josh Booty
Marlins paid Booty $1.6 million, and he batted .198 in minors.
1997-1998: Trading every high-priced player after winning World Series
Moises Alou, Gary Sheffield, Kevin Brown, Al Leiter...
2004-2005: Trading every high-priced player after winning World Series
Derrek Lee, Josh Beckett, Brad Penny...
2006: Further alienating their fans by dallying with San Antonio
Did anybody really think this would work?
10) What's the biggest blunder in Mets franchise history?
1966: Using No. 1 overall draft pick on Steve Chilcott (instead of Reggie Jackson)
There's never been a candy bar named Steve!
1969: Trading Amos Otis to Royals for Joe Foy
The Mets thought Otis was a bad third baseman; the Royals thought he was a great center fielder.
1971: Trading Nolan Ryan to Angels for Jim Fregosi
The Angels would have taken Gary Gentry, but Gil Hodges preferred to send Ryan off.
1984-1985: Abusing Dwight Gooden's young right arm
Davey Johnson was a great manager, but Gooden threw 277 innings in '85 and was never the same afterward.
1990: Firing Davey Johnson
The Mets were 20-22 when Johnson got fired, and did improve under Bud Harrelson, but not for long.
11) What's the biggest blunder in Nationals franchise history?
1974: Trading Ken Singleton and Mike Torrez to Orioles for Dave McNally and Rich Coggins
On the other hand, it was a great deal for the O's.
1979-1980: Letting Rodney Scott lead off almost every game.
Scott didn't get on base, and the Expos finished two games out in 1979 and one game out in '80.
1989: Trading Randy Johnson to Mariners for Mark Langston
Langston was supposed to put Expos over the top, but instead they finished 12 games out of first place.
1999: Signing lefty setup man Graeme Lloyd for three years, $9 million
Lloyd totaled 101 innings pitched for Expos.
2005: Trading Brad Wilkerson to Rangers for Alfonso Soriano
Soriano gets $10 million, Wilkerson gets $4 million.
12) What's the biggest blunder in Padres franchise history?
1970: Drafting schoolboy catcher Mike Ivie with No. 1 overall pick
Ivie developed mental block about throwing, never really developed.
1982: Trading shortstop Ozzie Smith for shortstop Garry Templeton
Smith's career took off in St. Louis; Templeton's crashed in San Diego.
1989: Trading Sandy Alomar and Carlos Baerga to Indians for Joe Carter
Carter was a good player, of course, but the Padres gave up a lot of young talent.
1993: Trading Fred McGriff to Braves for three prospects.
Cost-cutting move, and none of the prospects panned out.
1998: Claiming Randy Myers off waivers from Blue Jays.
Padres didn't want Braves to get him, were stuck with his big contract for two more injury-plagued seasons.
13) What's the biggest blunder in Phillies franchise history?
1964: Manager Gene Mauch starting two aces on two days of rest
Bunning and Short couldn't save the Phillies down the stretch.
1966: Trading Fergie Jenkins to Cubs for pitcher Larry Jackson
Jenkins went to the Hall of Fame; Jackson good for three seasons before retiring.
1977: Manager Danny Ozark failing to replace Luzinski with better outfielder
Ozark's gaffe cost the Phillies Game 3 of the NLCS, and ultimately the series.
1982: Trading Ryne Sandberg and Larry Bowa to Cubs for Ivan DeJesus
Yes, Sandberg was essentially a throw-in.
1997: Using No. 2 overall draft pick on J.D. Drew, who didn't sign.
Phillies had no intention of paying the $10 million Drew said it would take.
14) What's the biggest blunder in Pirates franchise history?
1927: Trading Kiki Cuyler to Cubs for a couple of no-names
Manager didn't like him, but future Hall of Famer had plenty of good seasons to come.
1928: Selling future Hall of Fame shortstop Joe Cronin to Kansas City
The Pirates had a good shortstop, but Cronin became a great one.
1975: Trading Willie Randolph and two others to Yankees for Doc Medich
Medich won eight games for Pirates; Randolph became a near-Hall of Famer.
1999: Signing free agent Pat Meares to five-year deal for good money
Or rather, bad money from the Pirates' perspective, as Meares hardly played.
2000: Signing free agent Derek Bell to two years, for almost $10 million
Bell played in 46 games before 'Operation Shutdown.'
15) What's the biggest blunder in Reds franchise history?
1957: Trading Curt Flood to Cardinals for three nobodies.
Outfield of Flood, Pinson, and Frank Robinson would have been pretty good.
1965: Trading Frank Robinson to O's for Milt Pappas, etc.
Deal turned Orioles into powerhouse, might have cost Reds a division title in '69.
1984: Hiring Pete Rose as manager
He wasn't a terrible manager, aside from the compulsive gambling.
1995: Letting manager Davey Johnson get away
...after winning a division title. Replacement: Ray Knight, who didn't work out.
2000: Firing manager Jack McKeon, hiring Bob Boone
McKeon dumped less than a year after winning Manager of the Year honors. Replacement: Bob Boone, who really didn't work out.
16) What's the biggest blunder in Rockies franchise history?
1992: Selecting David Nied from Braves with No. 1 pick in Expansion Draft
In four seasons, Nied won 17 games and lost 18.
1998: Hiring Jim Leyland as manager
Not a good fit, and he was gone after just one season.
2000: Signing free agents Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle to long-term mega-contracts.
You know how well this strategy worked.
2001: Signing Todd Helton to nine-year, $142 million deal
Yes he's a wonderful player. But nine years?
2002-2006: Retaining Dan O'Dowd as general manager
Most owners wouldn't be so patient; time will tell.
Thank goodness it didn't happen.Pepper said:
It's always been a mystery to me on what happened to Dales career, he was so good then all of the sudden...poof
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3.1% Giants: Trading Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano, and Boof Bonser to Twins for A.J. Pierzynski (2003)
Jury's still out on prospects Liriano and Bonser, but Nathan alone has made this one look pretty awful.
Give this one time. In 5 years, this will officially be the worst non-Babe Ruth blunder of all-time.
Jury's still out on prospects Liriano and Bonser, but Nathan alone has made this one look pretty awful.
Give this one time. In 5 years, this will officially be the worst non-Babe Ruth blunder of all-time.
The Jeff Bagwell for Larry Anderson trade deserves mention with the worst all time deals, not just Red Sox deals. That trade was a Hall of Famer for a mediocre, aging middle reliever. Terrible, terrible, terrible.
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I Are Baboon said:
Andersen really helped the Sox that year. They won the division by 2 games and he pitched well.
I think we have a tendancy to look at these trades with way too much hindsight....Bagwell was a singles hitting 3B and Boston had Boggs.
It was a mistake, in the long run, don't get me wrong, but they won a division title.
Houston moves him to 1B, he develops some power and WHAM, you have a bad trade.
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min0 lee said:
1997: Owner Peter Angelos---enought said, they didn't even have to mention that he fired Johnson.
I would also like to add to this list that after the 1999 season they let Mussina go. I know that he did not have a good year the past two season, but he did have a nagging elbow injury and he looks to have his stuff back in form again this season. A guy like him could have contributed to the O's and he was worth the money.
That was a present to your Yankees from Angelos
It is a shame with what he did to that franchise. For years it was run efficiently until he ran it down the ground.section8 said:1997: Owner Peter Angelos---enought said, they didn't even have to mention that he fired Johnson.
I would also like to add to this list that after the 1999 season they let Mussina go. I know that he did not have a good year the past two season, but he did have a nagging elbow injury and he looks to have his stuff back in form again this season. A guy like him could have contributed to the O's and he was worth the money.
That was a present to your Yankees from Angelos
