The Top 20 MLB Players With ZERO CHAMPIONSHIPS!!

Major League Baseball teams have historically had rosters of 25 players, although more recently the active rosters have been set at 26 players. With that many players on a team, plus considering the importance in a starting rotation, a bullpen, a lineup and even the defensive abilities of the 9 fielders, only one individual player can only do so much to help a team win a championship, no matter how good they are. That’s why, while in basketball, pretty much every top players of all time like Michael Jordan, Lebron James, Kareem Abdul-Jababa, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and Larry Bird all have multiple championship rings. With only 5 players on the court at any given time, the individual superstar has a much higher impact on the result of the game as opposed to baseball, where many of the games best players have played entire 20+ year careers and retired empty-handed – without even one World Series Championship. Today, I’ll rank the best 20 MLB players to ever play the game who never won a World Series ring.

This video will only focus on retired players, but look forward to part 2, which is coming up next and will link at the end of this video as soon as its live. That video will rank the top 20 active players who are still waiting on their championship ring, and the talent on that list is just as crazy as the one on the all-time list that starts now, but first 6 quick honorable mentions:

Honorable Mention #1: Ralph Kiner

The 6-time All Star and Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner led the league in homers for his first 6 seasons, but played for the Pirates during one of their worst eras. He not only never won a World Series, but never made it to the playoffs.

Honorable Mention #2: Fergie Jenkins

The Hall of Fame former Cy Young Award Winner Fergie Jenkins won 284 games in his career, but played mostly for the Cubs, who obviously never won a World Series during Jenkins career. He also played for the Phillies, Rangers and Red Sox but none of those teams won it all during Jenkins career. Like Kiner, he never even made it to the postseason.

Honorable Mention #3: Edgar Martinez

Edgar was with the Mariners during both their 1995 and 1997 playoff runs and the historic 2001 season. Of course, the Mariners fell short every time. Martinez hit well in the playoffs, smashing 8 career postseason bombs, but could never get that elusive ring.

Honorable Mention #4: Lee Smith

Long-time Chicago Cub players might become a pattern in today’s video. Lee Smith picked up 478 career saves, which was an MLB record for a number of years. Unfortunately, he only made the playoffs twice – once with Cubs in 1984 and once with the Red Sox in 1988. He didn’t pitch particularly well and neither time did his team make it past the championship series.

Honorable Mention #5: Roy Halladay

After 10 seasons of missing the playoffs with the Blue Jays, the late great Roy “Doc” Hallday threw a no-hitter in his very first posteason start in 2010 for the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS. It helped propel his team into the next round, but the Phillies fell short against the Giants. His Phillies were back in the postseason in 2011, but this time, despite two great efforts from Hallday, they lost in the NLDS against St. Louis. He never made it back to the playoffs again, but the 2-time Cy Young Award Winner was elected to the Hall of Fame in 2019, but sadly it happened after his tragic passing in a plane crash.

Honorable Mention #6: George Sisler

Poor George Sisler was an amazing player and had a .340 career batting average, hitting over .400 twice. But he played most of his career with the dreadful St. Louis Browns, who never won a World Series championship. During Sisler’s time there, they never even made the postseason nor did Sisler in his career. They eventually moved to Baltimore and became the modern day Orioles.

Honorable Mention #7: Don Mattingly

I have to mention Mattingly, who somehow played his entire 14 year career with the New York Yankees, made 6 All Star Teams, and became one of the best players in baseball, yet somehow never even got to the World Series. The Yankees won it all in 1978, the year before Mattingly was drafted and then the team went into a rough era in the 1980’s and early 90’s. Mattingly’s Yankees made the playoffs once in 1995, Mattingly’s final season, and he hit .417 but they lost to the Mariners in the ALCS. The next year, the Yankees won the World Series. They literally won a World Series the year before he was drafted and the year after his final season.

Honorable Mention #8: Jeff Bagwell

He played for 15 years for the Houston Astros, winning a Rookie of the Year, MVP and Gold Glove, but never got that championship ring. He played for some excellent Astros teams, made the playoffs 6 times, but only got to the World Series once, in 2005. The White Sox were victorious over Houston.

Honorable Mention #9: Craig Biggio

I might as well mention Biggio as well, who played with Bagwell that entire time, except he played even longer – 20 years with Houston. He made 7 All Stars teams, won 4 Gold Gloves, but like Bagwell, never won it all. Both players were elected to the Hall of Fame.

Honorable Mention #10: Sam Crawford

The Hall of Famer Sam Crawford hit an astonishing and MLB record 309 triples, had a .309 career batting average, 367 steals, and was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1957. He made it to the World Series 3 times with the Tigers, but never won it all.

Honorable Mention #11: Jeff Kent

He hit more homers than any other second basemen in MLB history, won an MVP in 2000 and made 5 All Star Teams, but the powerful Jeff Kent never won it all, although he was no stranger to the postseason. He appeared in the playoffs with the Indians, Giants, Astros and Dodgers, but always fell short.

Now let’s move on to the Top 20.

#20. Adrian Beltre

Recently inducted Hall-of-Famer Adrian Beltre played for 21 years in the big leagues for the Dodgers, Mariners, Red Sox, and Rangers but never in a season that one of those teams made it all the way. His first taste of the playoffs was in 2004, but the Dodgers lost in the NLDS. The closest the 4-time All Star got to a championship was in 2011, his first year with Texas. The Rangers repeated as American League champs and made it to the Fall Classic, but were defeated in 7 games by the Cardinals, despite Beltre hitting .300 with 2 home runs. Beltre’s Rangers made the playoffs again in 2012, 2015 and 2016, but were eliminated each time before the World Series.

#19. Mike Piazza

The long time Dodgers and Met catcher played for a couple great franchises, but never in the right season. He won a Rookie of the Year and made 6 straight All Star Teams with L.A., but only made the playoffs twice – in 1995 and 1996, both times getting eliminated in the first round. In 1998, after a brief stint with the Marlins, he was traded to the Mets, a very strong team that took the 1999 Braves to a 6th game of the NLCS before getting eliminated. In 2000, they made it all the way to the World Series, where Piazza had some historic moments such as this freak incident with Roger Clemens. However, the Yankees won the series. Piazza had one last chance in 2006 with the Padres, who made the playoffs but were swept immediately by the Cardinals.

#18. Carlton Fisk

Fisk had an extremely long and successful 24 year career with the Red Sox and White Sox taking lord knows how much damage behind the plate as a catcher, yet he never won a World Series title. It might be a little surprising since Fisk hit one of the most famous World Series home runs in history, a walkoff shot in Game 6 of the 1975 World Series. But some people might not know that didn’t win the series; it just forced a Game 7. The Red Sox ended up losing that final game to the Reds. Fisk made it back to the playoffs just one more time in 1983 with the White Sox, but his team lost the series 3 games to 1 to Baltimore.

#17. Sammy Sosa

It might be controversial to put steroid guys on this list, but as just one of 9 players in the 600-home run club and some one who smashed over 60 3 times, he has to be mentioned. Sosa, like many of the players on this, simply played for the wrong teams – and one of those teams was of course the Chicago Cubs. Sosa spent 13 of his 18 years with the Cubs, won an MVP and put up video game power numbers, but only made the playoffs twice – once 1998 when the Cubs lost to Atlanta in the NLDS, and again in the famous 2003 postseason when the Cubs got to the NLCS against the Florida Marlins and looked to have everything under control, when the Bartman incident occurred and the Cubs completely meltdown down, losing the game and series. Sosa never got back to the playoffs.

#16. Ryne Sandberg

Not the first and definitely not the last Cub to make the list is Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, who spent his entire career with the Chicago Cubs – not a great idea if you want to win World Series Championships. He made 10 All Star Games and won an MVP, but only made it to the postseason twice and both times his team lost in the first round. It was no fault of Sandberg’s as he hit .385 with an OPS over 1.000 throughout both playoff series, but the Cubs lost to the Padres in 1984 then to the Giants in 1989.

#15. Robin Yount

Robin Yount spent 20 years in the big leagues, all playing for the Milwaukee Brewers who to this day have not won a World Series title at the time of this recording. So, obviously, Yount never got a ring although he did two MVPs and finished his career with 3,142 hits. The only time he played on a very good Brewers team was in the early 80’s. With teammates like Rollie Fingers, Paul Molitor, Pete Vuckovich, Ted Simmons and Cecil Cooper, the Brewcrew made the playoffs in 1981, but were eliminated in the ALCS by the Yankees. The next year, a determined Brewers club made it all the way to the World Series after leading the big leagues with 95 wins. Yount hit .414 with a home run, but the Cardinals were victorious in a hard fought 7-game series. Yount never saw the postseason again.

#14. Vladimir Guerrero Sr.

Vlad Sr. was well known for his amazing ability to put the bat on the ball, wherever it might be – even if it bounced first. He could simply rake and ended up with an MVP and 9 All-Star nods, playing for the Expos, Angels, Rangers and Orioles. The Expos were great in 1994 when Vlad entered their minor league system, but by the time he made the big leagues, they were never a postseason threat. He was with the Expos in 2002 when the Angels won it all, and that’s where Guerrero ended up a couple years later. Unfortunately, even though they made the playoffs 5 times while Vladdy was there, the Angels never returned to the World Series. However, he did make it to the Fall Classic in 2010 with the Rangers, but they lost in 5 to the Giants. He ended up with the Orioles in 2011 then retired.

#13. Rod Carew

From his rookie season in 1967 all the way through 1984, Rod Carew made literally every single All Star team. He won a Rookie of the Year, MVP and led the league in hitting 7 times. However, he played for the Twins and Angels during a time neither team won any titles. The Twins had some talent in the late 60’s and made the playoffs in 1969 and 1970, but couldn’t get passed the Orioles in the ALCS. Then, it was the Orioles again who stopped Carew’s Angels from getting to the World Series in 1979. His last shot at a title was in 1982 when the Angels faced the Brewers in the ALCS that I talked about earlier featuring Robin Yount. That was the year the Brewers made it to the World Series and it was by defeating Carew’s Angels. Rod Carew never played in a World Series game.

#12. Juan Marichal

If you were primarily a San Francisco Giant before 2010, Champions were hard to come by. In fact, you’d have to go back to 1954 when the Giants were still in New York, 6 years before Juan Marichal’s debut. Marichal played from 1960 to 1975, 13 of the 15 years with the Giants, who reached the postseason twice during that time. In 1962, the Giants won the pennant, but lost to the Yankees in the ‘62 series. Marichal threw 4 scoreless innings in Game 4, leading the Giants to victory, but the Yankees ended up winning the series in 7. In the 1970’s the Giants made the playoffs just once, in 1971, and lost in a best of 5 to the Pirates. Marichal was excellent in Game 3, giving up just 1 run in 8 innings, but was outdueled by Bob Johnson. Those were Marichal’s only 2 postseason appearances.

#11. Nap Lajoie

One of the greatest hitters in the early years of professional baseball, Nap Lajoie hit .338 for his career, maxing out at a ridiculous .463 batting average in 1901. He led the league multiple times in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, RBIs, and doubles. Over 21 seasons, he played for the Phillies, A’s, and Cleveland Bronchos, who changed their name to the Cleveland Naps in honor of Lajoie while he was still on the team – that’s how much of a legend he was. He hit for the Triple Crown one year, but none of his clubs were ever good enough to win the pennant and Lajoie retired without a World Series appearance, much less a championship.

#10. Willie McCovey

Another Giants legend who started his career just a bit too late to take part in that 1954 championship in New York was Willie McCovey, who was still in the minors when the team moved to San Francisco. He made his debut in 1959 and was an instant force, winning the Rookie of the Year Award. He ended up making 6 All Star Teams and won the MVP in 1969, but just like Marichal, the only two postseason appearances he made were in 1962 and 1971. In ‘62, he made the final out by hitting a rocket that was caught by Yankees 2nd baseman Bobby Richardson. In ‘71, he hit .429 with 2 bombs in the NLCS but it wasn’t enough to get passed the Pirates.

#9. Harmon Killebrew

He was a 13-time All-Star and MVP who smashed 573 homers and led the league in bombs 6 times, but Harmon Killebrew never played on a World Series championship team. He did get to the World Series in 1965 after the Twins won an MLB best 102 games, but they ran into Sandy Koufax and the Dodgers in the World Series. Koufax threw two complete game shutouts and allowed just 3 hits in the final Game 7. He was also teammates with Rod Carew in 1969 and 1970 when the Twins could not defeat the Baltimore Orioles in the ALCS.

#8. Carl Yastrzemski

The Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski played for 24 seasons, won 7 Gold Gloves, 3 batting titles, a Triple Crown and an MVP but he alone could not get the Red Sox to break the Curse of the Bambino. He did appear in two World Series with Boston, both going 7 games. The first one was in 1967 against St. Louis and Yastrzemski hit .400 with 3 bombs, but an electric Bob Gibson won 3 games for the Cardinals and they ended up taking the series from Boston. In 1975, Yaz and teammate Carlton Fisk took on the Reds but as mentioned earlier, they fell short in 7. Yastrzemski eventually retired without a championship.

#7. Ernie Banks

Perhaps the first name that comes to mind when thinking of great players who never won a World Series, Ernie Banks played his entire career with the Cubbies from 1953 to 1971 and incredibly never played in a single postseason game. He is probably the greatest player to never even appear in a postseason game. The Cubs just were never good enough but it was not Ernie’s fault as won two MVPs, hit over 500 homers, made 14 All Star teams and even won a Gold Glove. The Cubs looked primed to make the playoffs in 1969, sitting in 1st place in August with an 8 ½ game lead. In early September, that lead fell to 5 games. Then, after a series against the Mets in which the famous black cat made his appearance, the Cubs began to really collapse and lost 17 of their last 25 games. It was the closest Ernie Banks came to postseason baseball.

#6. Tony Gwynn

The Great Tony Gwynn won 8 batting titles, 7 Silver Sluggers, 5 Gold Gloves and zero World Series rings. He played his entire 20 year career with the San Diego Padres, who are still trying to win their first ever Fall Classic. Gwynn did get to experience playoff baseball, starting in 1984 when the Padres won the National League Pennant, but lost to the Tigers in the World Series. After that, the Padres fell into futility for about a decade. In 1996, a veteran Padres team with the likes of Gwynn, Wally Joyner, Rickey Henderson, Steve Finley & Ken Caminiti won the National League West with Trevor Hoffman closing out games. But, they were swept in the NLDS by the Cardinals, with Brian Jordan crushing a game winning homer off Hoffman in Game 3. Two years later, the Pads made it back to the playoffs and, in fact, all the way to the World Series. Gwynn hit .500 in the ‘98 Fall Classic, but the Yankees swept the Pads.

#5. Ichiro Suzuki

Although Ichiro did win a Japanese Championship in 1996 and two World Baseball Classics, he never won a World Series, despite playing 19 years in the big leagues and making 10 All Star Teams. Ichiro finished his career with over 3,000 hits, an MVP and 10 Gold Gloves. He played the vast majority of his career with the Seattle Mariners, another team still looking for their first World Series appearance. In 2001, the Mariners had a historic season, winning 116 games, tying an MLB record. They got passed Cleveland in the ALDS but fell short against the Yankees. Ichiro eventually played for the Yankees, which one would think would give him the best shot at a championship. However, during his 3 years in New York, they only made the playoffs once, in 2012, and were swept by a powerful Tigers team in the ALCS, despite Ichiro hitting .353 with a home run. He played for the Marlins as well, who failed to make the playoffs while Ichiro was there.

#4. Ken Griffey Jr.

Another long-time Mariner, Ken Griffey Jr. smashed 630 bombs in his amazing 22-year career in which his list of accomplishments are too long to read off, but they do not include a World Series title. He played for Seattle from 1989 to 1999 then again as a teammate of Ichiro’s in 2009 and 2010. Griffey was already gone when the M’s had their amazing season in 2001, but he was there in 1995 when they won the AL West with 79 wins in the shortened post-strike season. The team had 3 future Hall of Famers with Griffey, Edgar Martinez and Randy Johnson, not to mention Alex Rodriguez, who had Hall of Fame talent. Griffey tore it up in the ALDS, hitting .391 with 5 bombs, helping the M’s defeat the Yankees. But they lost to a loaded Cleveland Indians team in the ALCS. In 1997, Seattle won the West again, but Mike Mussina outdueled Randy Johnson twice and helped the Orioles beat the M’s in the ALDS. Griffey went on to play for the Reds, who never made the playoffs but he was traded to the White Sox in 2008 and they won the AL Central. Unfortunately for Griffey, they lost in the 1st round of the playoffs to Tampa Bay.

#3. Ty Cobb

The most surprising player on this list might be the legendary Ty Cobb, who played 24 years in the league, accumulated over 4,000 hits, had an unbreakable career record .366 batting average, and is one of the greats of the early 20th century, yet never did play a team that won it all. His main team was the Detroit Tigers, who didn’t win their first World Championship until 1935, 7 years after Cobb’s retirement. Back then, teams had to win the pennant just to make the postseason and they went directly to the World Series. It happened for Cobb’s Tigers 3 times – and they were consecutive American League titles – 1907, 1908 and 1909. The powerful Chicago Cubs, who had 4 future Hall of Famers, won in 1907 and 1908. In 1909, in one of great early World Series matchups, the Tigers and Pirates went back and forth but the it was the Pirates who ended up on top, thanks to rookie phenom Babe Adams, who threw 3 complete games including a shutout in the decisive game 7.

#2. Barry Bonds

You didn’t think I would forget Barry Bonds, right? Bonds was a generational talent and one of the greatest hitters to ever live. Even before what’s known as the juicing period of his career, he was one of the best all around talents to ever play the game and had won 3 MVPs, 2 of them with a powerful Pittsburgh Pirates team in the early 90’s. Those stacked Pirates teams had players like Bonds, Bobby Bonilla, Andy Van Slyke, and Doug Drabek. They made the playoffs for three straight seasons, 1990 to 1992, but fell short in the NLCS every time, and Barry Bonds didn’t hit well, giving him a reputation as a poor postseason performer. But then, he went to San Francisco and the Giants immediately won 103 games in 1993, which would almost always be good enough for a postseason berth, but the Atlanta Braves were also in the NL West for some reason and they won 104 games – one year before the Wild Card was instituted. The Giants and Bonds missed the playoffs that year, but Bonds would get more chances. In 1997, San Francisco clinched the division on the 2nd to last day of the season against San Diego. Unfortunately, they were swept by the Marlins, who went on to win it all. The Giants lost in the NLDS again in 2000 to the Mets. However, 2002 looked like the big year and the Giants needed one more win to take home the World Series Trophy. They had a 5 run lead in Game 6 of the World Series against the Angels but blew the game and ended up losing the series in 7 games. In 2003, they had another chance against the Marlins, but the series ended when J.T. Snow was cut down at the plate on a great throw by Jeff Conine and a nice catch & tag by Pudge Rodriguez. Bonds never got back to the playoffs although he wanted to continue his career in 2008 to complete his goal of winning a World Series, but no teams were interested. Was it collusion? Most seem to think so as Bonds had just hit 28 home runs with an OPS over 1.000 and league leading .480 on-base percentage. Imagine a player today going unsigned after that type of season.

#1. Ted Williams

At #1 I had to go with the Splendid Splinter, Ted Williams, the last man to hit over .400 in a full season and perhaps the greatest hitter to ever live. He is a legend in Boston and he played his entire career that spanned over 4 decades with the Red Sox. Most baseball fans are aware that the Red Sox went into a massive World Series drought after selling Babe Ruth to the Yankees. Williams played his entire career during that drought and sadly never won a World Series, although he did appear in one, in 1946. The Red Sox went 104-50 that season behind a stacked roster that included future Hall of Famer Bobby Doerr, 20-game winner Tex Hughson, hitting machine Johnny Pesky and the powerful 7-time All Star Rudy York. They went up against Stan Musial and the Cardinals, who ended up winning an incredible World Series in 7 games. Williams was injured but played through it, hitting just .200 with no homers. That would be the extend of his postseason career. Ted Williams himself proves that in baseball, you don’t have to be great in the postseason to be an all-time great, and it’s incredible that even the great Ted Williams played in just 7 postseason games and never won a World Series.

Grading EVERY MLB Team's 2024 OFFSEASON...Who Gets an F!?!? - TIER LIST

It’s St. Patrick’s Day and Opening Day is only a few days away, so today we’ll be grading the off-seasons of all 30 MLB teams as we prepare for the 2024 season. This includes trades, free agent signings, extensions, coaching moves, and anything else that was done to improve the team going forward.

Latest update: 3/18/24 - SF Giants Sign BLAKE NELL - Grade promoted to an A

Los Angeles Angels

Grade: D

It’s obviously been a tough offseason for the Halos, losing the biggest superstar in the game with Ohtani heading across town to the Dodgers. Offensively, they really didn’t do anything to replace him, picking up a few role players like Ehrie Adrianza and Aaron Hicks. They did a decent job of fortifying the bullpen with a several arms like Adam Cimber, Robert Stephenson and Luis Garcia, but unless they sign Blake Snell at this point, it was definitely a disappointing offseason and I gotta give them a D.Houston Astros

Grade: B

This is a team that didn’t need a ton of help, but they did lose a few mid-tier bullpen arms, so they signed a top-tier arm in Josh Hader, who joins Ryan Pressly and Rafael Montero in a very impressive looking pen. They gave a 5-year extension to Jose Altuve and signed Victor Carintini to help make up for lost depth at catcher with Martin Maldonao heading to to the White Sox. And of course they hired a new manager in Joe Espada. Overall, the team doesn’t have ton of holes, so they did what was needed to to stay competitive but they didn’t really make any major splashes with the rotation or lineup, so I’ll put them in the B tier.

Oakland A’s

Grade: D

The A’s are obviously in a crazy situation right now with the move to Las Vegas and the uncertainty of where they’ll be playing next year, but on the field they didn’t do a whole lot to improve their team after losing 112 games last year. But they did recently add J.D. Davis, who I think is going to have a great year; he’s a fantastic hitter and was looking good in Spring Training when the Giants suddenly waived him after signing Matt Chapman. They also picked up more former Giants – Ross Stripling and Alex Wood will be in the rotation – if they can stay healthy they will be a big help but that’s a big if; neither did much last year. They signed a few other bullpen arms like Michael Kelly and more former Giants, Trevor Gott and Scott Alexander. But until the J.D. signing, the A’s really didn’t do much to guarantee a better record than last year. I’ll give them a D.

Toronto Blue Jays

Grade: C

The Jays didn’t make any massive splashes this offseason, but did make some lowkey moves that should help them after losing some big time players like Matt Chapman and Jordan Hicks – weclome to San Francisco. Justin Turner is great but he’s almost 40 years old, so we’ll see how he does. Isiah Kiner-Falefa is a solid defender and if he has a bounce back season after a tough 2023 with the Yankees, he could definitely this team. They picked up Joey Votto, who won an MVP back when Ken Griffey Jr. was still playing. We’ll see if he even makes the team. Pitching-wise, they signed a Cuban pitcher with great stuff named Yariel Rodriguez. Overall, the Jays didn’t do anything crazy but didn’t completely ignore their needs either, so I’ll give them a C.

Atlanta Braves

Grade: B

I think the Braves had a fine offseason, considering they were already pretty stacked and didn’t really need to do a ton. They might have had a slight need in the outfield after losing Eddie Rosario, so they picked up a one-time serious prospect in Jarred Kelenic, who I think has a ton of potential if he can stay healthy, and brought back the powerful Adam Duvall. They fortified the bench with Luis Guillorme and David Fletcher, and even tried to improve the pitching staff by acquiring Chris Sale and Reynaldo Lopez to join Strider, Fried and Morton. They added a lefty to the bullpen in Aaron Bummer. The Braves addressed pretty much every need, although they could’ve maybe gotten more reliable names – Chris Sale obviously has an injury history and is a little older; Jared Kelenic hasn’t had a fully healthy season yet, but overall I’d say they get a B.

Milwaukee Brewers

Grade: C

Next up is the Brewers, a team I was pretty high on last season. They made the playoffs but got bounced by the D-Backs pretty quickly. This year, they got a really good looking young team and added some solid talent with Rhys Hoskins and veteran catcher Gary Sanchez. But their rotation is pretty suspicious in my opinion. They brought back Wade Miley, who’s solid, but he’s been around a long time and already is having injury issues in Spring Training. Brandon Woodruff is still recovering from surgery so he won’t be a factor anytime soon. And they traded their best starter Corbin Burnes for an exciting prospect with infielder Joey Ortiz and a starter in D.L. Hall, but the rotation was already a little iffy, relying on guys like free agent signings Jakob Junis and Joe Ross, who are fine but not exactly top tier starters. Joe Ross was with the Giants and never even appeared in a big league game; he’s been hurt for a number of years. D.L. Hall is one of the prospects they got for Burnes, and he’ll have a lot of pressure on him to fill those shoes. They also brought back Colin Rae, who was fine last year. If everything goes right and the prospects tear it up, this could be a big year for Milwaukee, but the offeason moves were very risky – too risky in my opinion and the best I can do is a C.

St. Louis Cardinals

Grade: B

After last years disastrous season, the Cards front office got to work in improving the rotation, adding Lance Lynn, Kyle Gibson and Sonny Gray. They added some veteran role players with Matt Carpenter and Brandon Crawford, neither are going to light the world on fire but both are experienced big leaguers who could definitely help the team. They also added quite a bit of bullpen help and recently extended their manager, which pissed off Cardinals fans, but I think it was done to give Marmol a sense of security so he can relax and focus on winning games this year. They don’t blame the 2023 season entirely on him and are going to give him every opportunity to be better this year, and I think the Cardinals did was they had to do. They didn’t do much with the lineup, but since it’s already stacked with talent, they didn’t need to do much. I’m sure fans wanted even better starters than Lynn and Gibson, who are a little older and certainly not guaranteed to have big seasons, but considering what was out there, I think they did really well this offeason and I’ll give them a solid B.

Chicago Cubs

Grade: B

The Cubs made a lot of logical moves this offseason, although maybe there weren’t any massive splashes. Recently, they were able to bring back Cody Bellinger, which is huge and they didn’t have to pay the huge contract that Scott Boras was wanting. They brought in another former Dodger in Michael Busch, who has a great swing and huge potential. They didn’t get Yamamoto but did get Shoto Imanaga to fortify the rotation, so he’ll join Justin Steele, Jordan Wicks and Kyle Hednricks in a pretty damn solid rotation. They also signed a few bullpen arms like Hector Neris, and the very intelligent and experienced Craig Counsell takes over as manager. Overall, I think this was a fine offseason for the Cubbies, they addressed every aspect of the team, even adding some bench help with Garrett Cooper. I gotta give them a strong B.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Grade: B

The National League Champions showed that they were not going to lie down after falling short in 2023 and will be trying to win it all in ‘24. They brought back Loudres Gurriel Jr, signed free agent Joc Pederson and traded for Eugenio Suarez to replace Longoria at third base. And they also signed a very solid stater in Eduardo Rodriguez and he’ll jump right into that rotation alongside Zac Gallen, Merill Kelly and Bradon Pfadt. Just like the Braves, you can’t complain that they didn’t address their needs, but some fans might complain about the quality of players – Suarez does strike out a lot but unlike Longoria, he stays healthy and will probably hit more home runs. And Joc Pederson can’t really hit lefties, but the D-Backs have plenty of solid right-handed bats and switch hitters to put out a strong lineup against any pitcher. Overall, I think the D-Backs did what they had to do and I’ll give them a very strong B as well.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Grade: A

Next up is the Dodgers, who spent over a billion dollars to get whoever they wanted and their dog. #1 free agent Shohei Ohtani – Dodgers. #2 free agent Yoshinobu Yamamoto – Dodgers. And on top of that, they traded for Tyler Glasnow, and added big power in Teoscar Hernandez. That alone gives them an easy A. They also went hunting for some veteran players like James Paxton, some former top prospects like Austin Beck who they’ll stash in Triple-A. They have literally four MVP’s on this roster and every name in entire lineup except youngsters Gavin Lux and James Outman are All-Stars. So, this is just insane – the Dodgers obviously get an A.

San Francisco Giants

Grade: A

Update: Signed Blake Snell 3/18/24 - Grade promoted to an A

Although a lot of my subscribers tell me this offseason was a disaster, I couldn’t disagree more – yes, it could’ve been better, but the Giants made a ton of moves this offseason to at least try to compete with LA and try to get back in the playoffs. In fact, they spent more money than any team except the Dodgers. Jung Hoo Lee was a huge signing and he’s looking great in Spring Training. They added big power with Jorge Soler as the DH. Obviously, Matt Chapman is an elite glove at third and he brings a powerful bat the lineup. Nick Ahmed is looking impressive and will probably be the opening day shortstop. Offensively, I couldn’t have wanted more, although I think the pitching staff still looks a little shaky. They did sign Jordan Hicks and he’s going to try to be a starter this year. Robbie Ray is a former Cy Young winner but he’s still hurt at the moment. The Giants signed some good young arms like Ethan Small, Landen Roupp and Spencer Howard, so at best this could be a hugely successful offseason, but it all depends on how some of these pitchers do. If they would’ve signed a top starter instead of Matt Chapman and stuck with J.D. Davis, I think it would’ve been better for the overall team, but as is, I’m going to give them a B.

Cleveland Guardians

Grade: D

The Guardians are not a team known for big spending in free agency and true to form, they didn’t spend much in free agency. Carlos Carrasco is back in Cleveland but he did not pitch well with the Mets last year and he’s a bit passed his prime at this point. They picked up an interesting Rule 5 guy in Deyvison De Los Santos who hit 20 homers in Double A last year, so that could be some one to keep an eye on. Austin Hedges is back, but he can’t even hit over the Mendoza Line and isn’t going to be a big difference maker. They signed a couple decent bullpen arms like Scott Barlow, but really did nothing to stand out and I still love their pitching staff, and I think they have a good team but they didn’t do anything to improve their lineup, which lacks some thump. If not for Barlow and De Los Santos, they’d get an F. Those two guys make it a D.

Seattle Mariners

Grade: B

The Mariners are a young and exciting team that should be ready to compete for a championship. They just needed to add some more power to the lineup to help out that amazing rotation and they did that, bringing back Mitch Haniger and adding Jorge Polanco and Mitch Garver. All three of those guys can hit well over 20 homers each and they’ll jump right into the middle of the lineup with Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh. Haniger is injury prone, though, but if he can stay healthy he has big pop. They also made a ton of trades, I can’t say how well each one will work out but at the end of the day, they picked up a lot of help for their bench like Luke Raley and some good bullpen arms as well like Carlos Vargas and Ryne Stanek. Overall, I think they’re slightly better than last year despite losing Teoscar Hernandez, and I like their chances to compete in the AL West this year. I’ll give them a very very strong B.

Miami Marlins

Grade: F

The Miami Marlins surprised the baseball world in 2020 by making the playoffs, but people said oh it was because of the shortened season. Then, last year, in 2023, they did it again this time with a full 162 game season and to capitalize on that success, the Marlins did almost nothing this offseason to improve. They did make some moves to replace lost talent, but almost every move was a downgrade. They will be without Sandy Alcantara, who had Tommy John, and only picked up Yonny Chirinos, who is injury prone and hasn’t been very good for a long time. They lost Jorge Soler, and didn’t sign any one to make up for that loss in power. They did need a shortstop and picked up Tim Anderson; I don’t hate that move as supplementary move, but that was their big free agent signing and Anderson was coming off a season so bad, no one else wanted him. Other than some other minor moves, the Marlins did nothing to get back in the playoffs in 2024 and I have to them an F.

New York Mets

Grade: D

The Mets did make moves to address their needs, but the additions just weren’t anything overly special. For the lineup, they needed some help with the outfield and DH, so they added Harrison Bader and Ji-Man Choi, decent names but nothing spectacular. The rotation looks quite a bit different this year with no Verlander, no Scherzer. Senga is hurt to start the year. And to make up for all, they signed Luis Severino, who was awful last year, and Sean Manaea, who was on and off with the Giants last year, he is pretty inconsistent. They traded for Adrian Houser, who is okay, but the rotation is nowhere as good as it looked entering 2023. And they did get some bullpen help, but nothing splashy. Overall, I think they did just enough to fill some needs to get through the season, but definitely a downgrade from last year; I gotta give them a D.

Washington Nationals

Grade: C

The Nationals look like a team in rebuilding who are just waiting for their very talented farm system to hit the big leagues, but they did make a few moves to try to keep things somewhat exciting. They signed some former Reds talent like Jesse Winker, who hit just .199 last year but does have power, and Nick Senzel, whose career never took off like every one expected it would. Joey Gallo will hit some home runs but also strike out 200 times if he’s healthy enough to play all year. But they did pick up Eddie Rosario and that’s quite a bit of talent right there, but all with some kind of issue – one is a draft bust, one strikes out a lot, one can’t hit the mendoza line, but they all have potential to do damage and combined with a very young but capable rotation, this team might surprise some people. They could’ve used some starting pitching depth with the injuries to Strasburg and Cade Cavali, but signed no one of note there, although they picked up some decent bullpen arms like Derek Law and Dylan Floro. Overall, I think it was a so-so offseason for the Nats given that they have a lot of up and coming young talent that they didn’t want to completely block. I’ll give them a C.

Baltimore Orioles

Grade: A

Just like the Marlins, this is a team that was bad for many years who suddenly made the playoffs, but unlike the Marlins, they actually capitalized and tried to get better going into 2024. The Orioles needed an ace and they got one in Corbin Burnes, who they picked up in a trade without giving up too much. They also signed a possible future Hall of Fame in closer Craig Kimbrell, who can go into bad slumps but when he’s on, he’s one of the best. He’ll replace Felix Bautista, who’s out for the season after Tommy John. The O’s already have one of the best lineups in baseball which is almost entirely homegrown, so they didn’t need to add much there, but they added some depth with Tyler Nevin and Colton Wong. Overall, they only had a couple needs and went all out to fill them – when they couldn’t land a top free agent pitcher, they did it in a trade, and the Orioles are ready to compete again in 2024. I gotta give them an A.

San Diego Padres

Grade: D

Next up is the Padres, who have been trying desperately for years to put together a winning team and you gotta respect that. Unfortunately, it hasn’t really worked and this year, they lost a ton of talent, trading away Juan Soto, Josh Hader’s gone to Houston, Blake Snell’s probably gone. They needed a top-tier starting pitcher to replace Snell, and some help in the outfield and catcher. Kyle Higashioka is a decent backup catcher best and as for the rotation, they got Michael King and Jhonny Brito in the Soto trade and then recently picked up Dylan Cease in a trade with the White Sox. Along with Darvish and Musgrove, the rotation should be decent. They did get a ton of names to help out in the bullpen like Wandy Peralta, Yuki Matsui and a solid Korean arm in Woo Suk-Go. I was considering an F, but because of the Dylan Cease move and the extra bullpen help, I’ll give them a D.

Philadelphia Phillies

Grade: C

It looked like the Phillies were going to have a massive offesason after bringing back Aaron Nola, but since then there hasn’t been too many big moves. They recently added Spencer Turnbull to the bullpen and Whit Merrifeld as a utility player. I feel like this a team that doesn’t need a ton of help; obviously they almost made it back to the World Series last year. But, they could’ve used another bat or two and some extra pitching help wouldn’t have hurt after losing Kimbrell and Lorenzen. So, even though they did the most important thing in bringing back Nola, I can’t really give them credit for going all out and trying to do everything possible to get back to the fall classic. They did what they had to do, but not much else on top of that, so I’m going to give them a solid C.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Grade: D

Up next is the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are known for spending as little money as possible. But I must give credit where credit is due – the Pirates picked up Aroldis Chapman, who can still bring it and he’ll be strengthening a bullpen that already had David Bednar. They also got some starting pitching help with Marco Gonzales in a trade with the Braves and the veteran Martin Perez. They re-signed the legend Andrew McCutchen, which is going to at least be cool for the fans for him to be there another year in Pittsburgh. They signed Yasmani Grandal, who was at one time a serious power hitting catcher, but obviously he’s passed his heyday. They signed Rowdy Tellez and Michael A. Taylor for the lineup, two experienced big leaguers, but overall, the Pirates did whatever they could to add the best players they could while also spending as little as possible, although they did give give Chapman $10.5 million so again, shoutout there for doing that. Overall, I gotta say for the Pirates, this was like an A offseason, but compared to your typical MLB team, they did enough to get through the season in one piece, but they’re not going to be winning a World Series. I’ll give them a D just because they at least spent some money for their bullpen, but signing old names who are just trying to hang on in the big leagues doesn’t desreve much credit.

Texas Rangers

Grade: C

After winning it all in 2024, the Texas Rangers did lose some talent – Jordan Montgomery could still be back as of now, he’s a free agent. They signed Tyler Mahle, but he’s still recovering from Tommy John, as is Jacob Degrom. Max Scherzer’s also out for now after back surgery. So, the rotation really hasn’t been upgraded, although it stills looks okay all things considered. It was a weird choice to sign Mahle, who’s also hurt, instead of some one who could instantly help out while waiting from Degrom and Scherzer. They added David Robertson and Kirby Yates to the bullpen. Yates isn’t as good as he was a few years ago, but had a solid 2023 with Atlanta. Offensively, nothing much was needed and nothing much was done except some extra depth like Jared Walsh, who’s tearing it up in Spring Training. Overall, this is a great team as is, but unless they sign Snell or Montgomery, at this point, I can’t give them higher than a C just for maintaining.

Tampa Bay Rays

Grade: C

Next up is the Tampa Bay Rays and maybe their biggest move of the offseason was actually trading Tyler Glasnow to the Dodgers for Ryan Pepiot and Jonny DeLuca. For a lot of fans, this looks crazy getting rid of Glasnow, but Glasnow is injury prone and the Rays obviously love Pepiot, who has great stuff and could very well stay more healthy. They also get DeLuca, who has great potential – unfortunately he just broke his hand so he’ll be out a for about a month or 2. But it’s a risky trade for sure since the Rays rotation does lack some superstar power, but if Zach Eflin can repeat his 2023 season and Pepiot has a breakout year, it could work out well for the Rays. The Rays also added some decent help to the bullpen like Phil Maton, and a some depth to the lineup while they await some of their up and coming prospects. Overall, the Rays just did what the Rays do and made some interesting trades that don’t look too great on paper but ultimately might make them look like geniuses. Until we know, I’m just going to them a C.

Boston Red Sox

Grade: C

The Boston Red Sox are obviously a top tier franchise who are supposed to be landing top talent year in and year out, but that hasn’t really been the case lately. They’ve been losing more talent than they’ve been gaining and this year, they lose Chris Sale, Justin Turner, Adam Duvall, James Paxton. To replace the lost talent, they signed an injured Lucas Giolito, who is going to miss the entire season. They did trade for Tyler O’Neil, who should replace Duvall pretty easily, and did acquire a few interesting names like prospect Vaughn Grissom, who can swing a pretty good bat, and C.J. Cron, who has 30 home run power if he can stay healthy. But they did nothing to address the rotation, which could really use a solid lefty like Jordan Montgomery. Cron, Grissom and O’Neil are solid pickups and the bullpen got some help, but nothing too splashy. I’ll give them a generous C-, but they’re very close to a D. If they sign Montgomery, bump it up to a B.

Cincinnati Reds

Grade: A

Next is the Reds, who just recently looked like a last place trash team until last year they go on this huge winning streak, led by an array of talented young players, and convince the front office that they might just be a few moves away from becoming a playoff team. So, in response, the front office did what had to be done and added more talent, spending over $100 million on free agents like Jeimer Candelario and starting pitchers Frankie Montas and Nick Martinez. They also brought in a bunch of solid bullpen arms like Emilio Pagan and Brent Suter, and even added some catching depth with my man Austin Wynns- with Wynns comes winns and a few decent former top prospects like Edwin Rios, who might have a chance to play this year. Overall, the Reds did what was needed to capitalize on their extremely talented roster and I think they got a good chance to make the playoffs this year. They didn’t make any one massive crazy splash signing, but instead put their eggs in several baskets by getting lots of solid players to round out the team; I think the Reds have to get an A.

Colorado Rockies

Grade: F

The Rockies already have a decent lineup; it could be better, but they did nothing to really improve it. They added Jacob Stallings and brought back Sam Hilliard – average bench players. Pitching is really where they needed help and they did next to nothing. They traded for Cal Quantrill, who is solid for most teams but does give up a lot of hits and is a finesse guy, not a strikeout guy – so, basically, he’s a recipe for disaster at Coors Field. Dakota Hudson hasn’t been good for several years and being in Colorado is not the place to revitalize one’s pitching career, but we’ll see. The bullpen is pretty much the same except a Rule 5 guy who has good stuff but is pretty raw and that’s Anthony Molina, and they picked up Jalen Beeks off the wavier wire. Overall, the Rockies did not do anything to improve upon their 103 loss season last year, and as a Giants fan, I appreciate it because we need all the help we can get this year. Rockies offseason, straight up F.

Kansas City Royals

Grade: B

Up next is another terrible 2023 team, the 106 loss Kansas City Royals. Unlike the Rockies, they actually tried to get a little better. The rotation needed serious help and they signed Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha, not necessarily superstars, but solid starters. The bullpen got a complete makeover with very reliable arms like Will Smith, Chris Stratton, Sam Long, Nick Anderson and a few others including a Rule 5 guy, Matt Sauer, who had a 10.9 per 9 strikeout ratio in Double A. They signed Adam Frazier, a pure hitter who can play a variety of positions and can get plugged into the lineup or serve as a solid backup utility guy. They added 30 home run power with Hunter Renfroe in the lineup and you just gotta give props to the Royals for trying to get better, and even more of their young prospects will be ready to contribute this season, so I see the Royals as being a lot better, and I gotta give them a solid B for the offseason.

Detroit Tigers

Grade: B

The Tigers are coming off a decent – for them anyway – 78 win season and are looking to get back above .500 and into the playoff conversation. So, they added some experienced starters in Kenta Maeda and Jack Flaherty to help soften the blow of losing Eduardo Rodriguez. Andrew Chafin and Shelby Miller were signed to fortify an already solid looking bullpen. They also extended top propsect Colt Keith, who will make his big league debut likely Opening Day. Mark Cahna and Gio Urshela also improve the lineup and overall, the Tigers look full ready to compete this season with a roster full of hot young talent and capable big league veterans. They could’ve got all out and added even more, but all things considered, I gotta give the Tigers a solid B.

Minnesota Twins

Grade: D

The Twins unfortunately had a situation with their TV provider and evidently couldn’t spend as much money as they would’ve liked during free agency as they were focused on getting a TV deal done. They signed Carlos Santana, who’s about to turn 38 but did hit 23 homers last year. They picked up Anthony Desclafani who I like, but really can’t stay healthy and is hit or miss. The bullpen added some pieces like Jay Jackson and Josh Staumont but nothing crazy, and they also signed Manuel Margot for some outfield depth. Ultimately, the Twins in my opinion look at lot worse after losing Sonny Gray and Kenta Maeda, and definitely did not have a great offseason, but they still have a lot of talent and could compete in the Central, although I have to give them a D for the offseason.

Chicago White Sox

Grade: D

The White Sox were a team I was very excited about back around 2020. Since then, they have really disappointed and their lineup just never came together in the way I thought it would. This offseason, they did not really add anything to fix this issue; there’s some recognizable names like Paul Dejong, Nicky Lopez, Kevin Pillar, Dominic Fletcher and Martin Maldonado but none of them I would consider big difference makers. They added some good young talent in the Dylan Cease trade like Steven Wilson, who should be really good in the bullpen. They also signed John Brebbia and Tim Hill, very experienced and reliable bullpen arms. It’ll be interesting to see how Michael Soroka does in a new environment after all his years of injury issues in Atlanta. Erick Fedde and Chris Flexen were also signed as free agents, but neither one has been particularly effective in the big leagues recently, although Fedde dominated the KBO, so we’ll see how he does. Overall, the White Sox addressed some needs but not with any top MLB talent, but they did some pick up good prospects for the future, but as far as competing in 2024, I gotta give them a D.

New York Yankees

Grade: A

And last but not least is the storied New York Yankees, who acquired one of the biggest superstars in the game, Juan Soto, who gets plugged right into that lineup alongside Aaron Judge and Anthony Rizzo. The Yanks lost some good pitching in that trade, but they tried their best to make up for it with quality starter Marcus Strohman and they picked up two solid relievers in a trade with the Dodgers, Caleb Ferguson and Victor Gonzalez. And that’s not even all – the Yankees also got Trent Grisham in that Soto trade, and acquired a very solid outfielder with Alex Verdugo. So their outfield will be Verdugo, Judge and Soto with Trent Grisham as a 4th option – that is a freaking sick outfield. They’re basically covered at every other position, so, all things considered, I have to give the Yankees a freaking A.

The 20 Most LOPSIDED Trades In MLB History

There have been thousands of trades in the history of Major League Baseball, some that are barely noteworthy and others that change the entire baseball landscape. Many of these blockbusters deals include massive MLB superstars that are oftentimes dealt for hot up-and-coming prospects. Sometimes the deal works out for both sides, but typically after enough time has passed it is clear who won and who lost the deal. Of course, just like in a baseball game, with a trade, sometimes you win.. and sometimes you win big. Today’s video will be counting down the Top 15 most lopsided trades in MLB history – trades that brought huge value to one side while the benefit to the other side is almost if not completely nil. As always, be sure to comment in that comment section down below your thoughts on the list and any huge lopsided trades I missed that could also have been considered for the Top 20. So, let’s gets started.

#20 - Jose Bautista for a PTBNL!?

Jose Bautista with the Pittsburgh Pirates

In 2008, the Pittsburgh Pirates had a player named Jose Bautista, who had already played for four different teams. He had never made an All Star Team and in 2007, he hit .254 with 15 home runs. The last place Pirates didn’t think he was good enough to be part of their future and traded him to the Blue Jays for a player to be named later. That player ended up being being Robinzon Diaz, who played in just 44 more big league games. Bautista went to Toronto and suddenly transformed, making 6 straight All Star Teams and finishing in the Top 10 for MVP 4 times. He led the league in home runs twice, including 54 bombs in 2010. In 2011, Bautista drove in 132 runs and had an OPS over 1.000. He became an absolute MLB superstar that the Pirates let go for a player to be named.

#19 – The Padres Get Their Face of the Franchise

In July of 2015, the Chicago White Sox made a great move by signing a very young Fernando Tatis Jr. as an international free agent. He had all the tools and looked like a future superstar. Less than a year later, they made a terrible move by trading him to the San Diego Padres along with Erik Johnson for James Shields and cash. Even at the time of the trade, Shields was past his prime and had gone 2-7 with the Padres that year. It was an easy decision for San Diego to dump the struggling Shields and get a young prospect with a massive ceiling. Shields went 16-35 with a 5.31 ERA over 3 seasons with Chicago, never reaching the postseason. Tatis Jr. rocketed through the minors and then lived up to the hype, leading baseball with 42 home runs in 2021. I won’t rank this one too high since Tatis was such a young prospect, there’s no way the White Sox could’ve known he would be this good. Also Tatis Jr. has run into some issues lately with injures and a PED suspension, but at the end of the day, this trade was still ridiculously lopsided and makes the Top 20.

#18 – The Pirates Trade Willie Randolph

The Pittsburgh Pirates had a nice steal in the 7th round of the ‘72 Draft when they selected Willie Randolph. By 1975, he looked big league ready, hitting .339 in Triple-A while stealing 14 bases without being caught. The Pirates at that time were trying to win a World Series and needed pitching, so they sent Randolph to the New York Yankees along with Ken Brett and Dock Ellis in exchange for Doc Medich, who had won 19 games for the Yankees in 1974. Medich won just 8 total games for the Pirates while Willie Randolph helped the Yankees win a World Series in 1977 and go on the play 13 years for the Bronx Bombers. He made 6 All Star Games and had an 18 year career. To add insult to injury, Dock Ellis went to New York and went 17-8 with a 3.19 ERA in 1976.

#17- The Cubs Give Their Rival Lou Brock

Lou Brock with the Cubs

The next trade ends up on the list not only because it involves a Hall of Famer but it also occurred between rivals. In 1964, the Chicago Cubs decided to part ways with a young player named Lou Brock. He had incredible speed but had hit just .257 throughout his first 2 ½ seasons. They sent Brock along with pitchers Jack Spring and Paul Toth to St. Louis for outfielder Doug Clemons and pitchers Bobby Shantz and Ernie Broglio. The Cubs were considered the winners of the deal for picking up Broglio, who had won 21 games in 1960 and had just gone 18-8 with a 2.99 ERA the prior season along with a former 24-game winner and MVP in Shantz and a solid prospect in Clemons. All they had to do is give up a struggling Jack Spring and Paul Toth and this young guy who could run fast, but didn’t look like he had the brightest future. Or so they thought. Brock hit .348 with 12 homers the rest of that season for the Cardinals and never slowed down, going on to make 6 All Star Games and steal a record 938 bases. Brock ended his career with over 3,000 this and was a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame.

#16 – The Mariners Help The Red Sox Finally Win a Ring

It was 1997 and the Seattle Mariners needed some bullpen help. So, they did what lots of teams do and traded away a few prospects for an established MLB player. That player was relief pitcher Heathcliff Slocumb, who had just saved 31 games the previous year for the Red Sox. However, in 1997, he was struggling, with a 5.79 ERA. The M’s traded for him anyway and sent a mid-tier pitching prospect named Derek Lowe along with 1st round pick Jason Varitek, a catching prospect in Triple-A. Slocumb continued to struggle with Seattle and ended up leaving in free agency after 1998, going 2-6 with a 4.97 ERA and just 13 saves throughout a season and a half with the Mariners. Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek, on the other hand, both made multiple All-Star Teams and became key members of the Boston Red Sox, helping them break the Curse of the Bambino and win it all in 2004. During Lowe’s best season, he won 21 games for the Red Sox and Varitek hit at least 20 home runs three times. Varitek stayed with the Red Sox his entire 15 year career and helped them win another World Series in 2007. This trade has to go down as one of the most lopsided of all time.

#15 – The Giants Trade An Elite Closer

While preparing for the 2004 season, the San Francisco Giants, coming off a National League Championship in ‘02 and NL West Championship in ‘03 needed to find a new catcher to replace Benito Santiago, who left in free agency. To do that, they made a trade with the Minnesota Twins, sending Boof Bonser, Francisco Liriano and a young reliever named Joe Nathan to the Twins for A.J. Pierzynski. Liriano made an immediate impact for the Twins, going 12-3 with a 2.16 ERA and making the All Star Team. He went on to have a 14 year MLB career. However, the real loss was Joe Nathan, who became an elite closer, making 6 All Star Teams and closing out 377 games in his career. As for the Giants, they got stuck with Pierzynski, who has a reputation as a clubhouse cancer and it was a match made in hell. Pitchers reportedly hated him and threatened a mutiny if the Giants didn’t trade him. According to one story, pitcher Brett Tomko asked him before a game if they could go over the opposing hitters. Pierzynski ignored him and kept playing cards for 20 minutes. The Giants failed to make the playoffs in 2004. This trade wouldn’t have been so bad if Pierzynski, who was a talented 26-year old catcher, stuck around and helped the Giants. Instead, he was released after the season and went on to be an All Star in Chicago. For a one-year clubhouse cancer, the Giants traded away a borderline Hall-of-Fame closer and solid starter.

#14 – The Padres Trade The Wizard

It’s hard to picture Ozzie Smith in a non-Cardinals uniform but for the first four years of his career, he was a San Diego Padre. Smith finished 2nd in the Rookie of the Year voting and won two gold gloves in San Diego. Ozzie’s agent was very vocal with his displeasure with his client’s salary and got into heated arguments with the Padres owner Ray Kroc. Yes, the McDonald’s guy. Finally, the Padres decided to just trade him, sending him in a package deal to the Cardinals for Garry Templeton, who created plenty of controversies of his own in St. Louis due to his lackadaisical style of play. The Cardinals fans were happy to see him go, but had no idea what they just got in return. Ozzie Smith ended up being a Cardinals legend, winning 11 more gold gloves and making a total of 15 All Star Teams. Templeton did play for the Padres for 10 years, which is why this trade isn’t higher on the list, but he only made 1 All Star Team and was never as good as he was in St. Louis. It ended up being one of the worst trades in Padres history.

#13 – The Marlins Lose Yelich

One team known for moving superstar names for spare parts that never really pan out is the Miami Marlins, and this won’t be their final appearance on today’s list. One of their worst trades occurred just a month after they shipped Giancarlo Stanton to the Yankees – a terrible trade itself - and it involved a young star named Christian Yelich. The Marlins sent him to Milwaukee and in return they got a top prospect named Lewis Brinson along with Isan Diaz, Monte Harrison and Jordan Yamamoto. Brinson was the main prospect in the trade, and he did have some MLB experience with the Brewers but hit just .106 in 47 at bats. The Marlins made the deal anyway and Yelich immediately became one of the best players in baseball, winning the MVP in 2018 and leading the league in batting average, slugging percentage and OPS in 2018 and 2019. Meanwhile, all 3 offensive prospects the Marlins received including Brinson hit under .200 and offered virtually nothing of value. Yamamoto had an 18.26 ERA in 2020 before being traded to the Mets. It was an embarrassing trade for the Fish.

#12 – Ryne Sandberg Comes to Chicago

Many casual baseball fans may not realize that Ryne Sandberg was not a Chicago Cub for his entire career and in fact made his big league debut as a member of the Philadelphia Phillies. Despite hitting .293 with a .352 on-base percentage for the Triple A Oklahoma City 89ers in 1981, the Phillies decided they didn’t need Sandberg since they had Manny Trillo at second base. They traded him to the Cubs along with Larry Bowa, a 5-time All Star who had played for the Phillies for 12 years, for Ivan DeJesus. De Jesus hit .239 for the Phillies while Sandberg went on to have a Hall of Fame Career with the Cubs, becoming one of the greatest second basemen in MLB history.

#11 – The Yankees Trade Away the Crime Dog

In December of 1982, The Yankees traded prospect Fred McGriff along with Dave Collins, Mike Morgan and cash to the Blue Jays for Tom Dodd and Dale Murray. The Yankees traded away a lotto winning draft pick in McGriff, who they got in the 9th round along with 2 other players and even cash for Dodd, who never played a game for the Yankees and ended his career with 3 big league hits and Murray, who won 3 total games for Yankees. Meanwhile, Dave Collins hit .308 for the Jays in 1984 and led the league in triples and Mike Morgan went on to be an All Star and have a 22 year big league career. This would have been a terrible trade for the Yankees even if they didn’t include Fred McGriff, who went on to hit 493 home runs, including a league leading 36 for the 1989 Blue Jays. He has also now, finally, been elected into the Hall of Fame.

#10 – The Padres Trade Away The Crime Dog

You thought we were done talking about the newest Hall of Famer Fred McGriff? Not yet. He has been traded multiple times and credit goes to the Blue Jays, who actually got some value for him, picking up Joe Carter and Roberto Alomar when they traded him to the Padres. Unfortunately, the Padres weren’t so smart, sending him to the Atlanta Braves in 1993 for Vince Moore, Donnie Elliot and Melvin Nieves. I’m ranking this one higher than the Yankees, because at least the Yankees didn’t know McGriff would be a superstar. The Padres knew what they had and still traded him to Atlanta for some spare parts. Fred McGriff helped the Braves catch the red-hot Giants in 1993 to win the division and win it all in 1993. He went on to lead the Braves in homers and RBIs during his tenure. Over in San Diego, Vince Moore never made it to the big leagues. Donnie Elliot went 0-1 and was out of baseball by 1995. And Melvin Nieves hit .207 for the Padres. That’s the risk you take when you sell an established superstar for prospects.

#9 – Bagwell Becomes an Astro For Life

Jeff Bagwell with the New Britain Red Sox

Jeff Bagwell will, of course, always be known as a Houston Astro. However, he was actually born in Boston and grew up a die-hard Red Sox fan. Then, in 1989, he was drafted in the 4th round by his favorite team and hit .333 for their Double-A affiliate, the New Britain Red Sox. It looked like an amazing story in the making until, eager to get some immediate bullpen help, the Red Sox shipped him to Houston for a veteran arm named Larry Anderson. Anderson threw just 22 total innings for the Red Sox and lost Game 1 of the ALCS, in which the Red Sox got swept. Meanwhile, Jeff Bagwell went to win the Rookie of the Year in Houston and have a Hall of Fame career that included 449 home runs and an MVP Award in 1994.

#8 – The Dbacks Land Gonzalez

In 1998, the Arizona Diamondbacks entered into Major League Baseball as an expansion team and with their 9th pick, drafted a talented young outfielder from the Dodgers named Karim Garcia, who had been ranked as high as the 7th best prospect in baseball. At just 22 years old, he was expected to be a mainstay in the Arizona lineup for years, but instead, they surprisingly traded him to the Tigers for a journeyman named Luis Gonzalez, who was usually good for around 10-15 homers a year. Garcia hit just .240 for the Tigers before being shipped off and then bounced around a bit, ending his career with a -3.2 WAR. Gonzalez, on the other hand, became a superstar and made his first All Star Team in 1999, leading the league with 206 hits. His power suddenly exploded as he crushed 26, 31 and then an insane 57 home runs in 2001. He made 5 All Star teams with Arizona and had the game winning hit in the 2001 World Series. This was a trade that didn’t seem unreasonable at the time, as no one could have ever predicted that Gonzalez would be a 5 time All-Star with 57 home run type power, but ultimately it turned out as one of the most lopsided trades in baseball history.

#7 – Mark McGwire Leaves Oakland

By 1997, it was difficult to imagine Mark McGwire in any other uniform besides that of the Oakland Athletics. He had been there for 12 years, made 9 All Star teams and was already approaching 400 career home runs. However, he was unhappy with the A’s overall performance and was ready to move on to a winner as a free agent, so the A’s felt forced to trade him. That wasn’t the problem. The problem was that in return for one of the greatest sluggers of all time, the A’s got pitchers Eric Ludwick, T.J Matthews, and Blake Stein. They initially asked for more – the A’s wanted a more established starter such as Alan Benes or Matt Morris along with top prospect Manny Aybar, but the Cardinals refused. Eventually, the A’s relented and made the deal. Ludwick and Stein won a total of 6 games with the A’s. T.J. Mathews stuck around longer, but he had a 4.78 ERA in 5 seasons for Oakland. Meanwhile, Mark McGwire went on to make headlines as he broke the single season home run record in 1998 and hit 220 home runs with St. Louis. Of course, these accomplishments have since been tainted by the revelation of the steroid era, but the trade of McGwire to the Cardinals is still one of the most lopsided in MLB history.

#6 – The Mets Give Up On Ryan

One of the best draft picks of all time was Nolan Ryan, who was taken in the 12th round by the Mets in 1965. Ryan had insane strikeout stuff, but struggled with his control and went 10-14 in 1971. During the 1971-72 offseason, the Mets decided to package him up with Leroy Stanton, Francisco Estrada and Don Rose and send him to the California Angels for a 6-time All Star named Jim Fregosi. Unfortunately, Fregosi never made another All Star team again and hit .232 for the Mets in 1972. By 1973, he was out of the organization. Most of the 4-man package didn’t really work out for the Angels either, with one obvious exception. Nolan Ryan hit his stride in California and averaged 21 wins per season for his first 3 years there, suddenly making All Star Teams and receiving Cy Young votes. He threw 4 no-hitters with the Angels and ended up with 7 over his career, which also included 324 wins and a record 5,714 strikeouts. It’s amazing that in order to pull of the trade of Nolan Ryan for Jim Fregosi, it was the Mets who had to throw in three additional players. It was without a doubt the worst trade in New York Mets history.

#5 – The Expos Trade The Cy Young Award Winner

Another Hall of Famer like Fred McGriff who was involved in not one, but two horrible trades, is Pedro Martinez. An honorable mention would be the Dodgers sending him to the Expos for Delino Deshields. It was a terrible trade, but at least they didn’t know just how good he would become. However, in 1997 The Expos traded Pedro, who had just won the Cy Young Award with a 1.9 ERA and 13 Complete Games to the Red Sox for Carl Pavano and Tony Armas Jr. They were obviously afraid he would leave in free agency, but how they only got two average prospects in incomprehensible. Pavano was a 13th round pick who showed some decent stats in the minors but went 24-35 for the Expos. Armas Jr. was in the low minor leagues at the time of the trade and ended up posting a 4.45 ERA during his time with the franchise. Martinez, on the other hand, went on to win 23 games in 1999, two more Cy Young Awards and have a Hall-of-Fame career. It is understandable that the Expos would trade a Cy Young Award winner if they thought he would leave in free agency, but you absolutely have to do better than that.

#4 – Marlins Send Miggy to Detroit

The Marlins have made some bad trades, but none worse than the December 2007 deal that sent Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to the Tigers for a package of prospects. That package included six players, one of whom never made it the majors and the rest who did little to nothing for the Marlins, although Andrew Miller went on to be a good reliever for other teams. Another prospect, Cameron Maybin, ended up back in Detroit later on, hitting .315 for them in 2016. Willis didn’t do much in Detroit, but The Tigers did get a franchise player in Miguel Cabrera, who won four batting titles, back to back MVP’s and a Triple Crown. He has established himself as a future Hall of Famer and will certainly wear a Tigers hat on his plaque. It is amazing that not one of the 6 prospects ever made much of an impact in Miami.

#3 – Tigers trade a Detroit-Native and Future Hall of Famer To Atlanta

Although Detroit certainly won the Miggy deal, they lost this next one. It is another example of a team trading away a young player who rooted for them as a kid. In this case, it’s John Smoltz, who grew up in Detroit as a hardcore Tigers fan. Appropriately, he was drafted by the Tigers, but although he had a great arm, his minor league numbers weren’t exactly eye popping. They decided to let him go for a more experienced big league arm and traded him to the Braves for Doyle Alexander. Alexander admittedly pitched well in Detroit for a little while until he led the league in losses in 1989 and retired. However, the Tigers lost out on a superstar and John Smoltz went on to become both an elite starter and closer for the Braves, becoming the first player in MLB history to record 200 wins and 150 saves. He helped Atlanta win a World Series in 1995 and won the Cy Young Award in 1996. At the time of this trade, it seemed like an easy win for the Tigers but in hindsight, it’s one of the worst trades in MLB history.

#2 – The Expos Trade The Big Unit

In the second round of the 1985 MLB Draft, the Montreal Expos made a great selection, taking a 6’6” beast in Randy Johnson. He had insane strikeout stuff but was also very wild, striking fear into the batters who dared to step into the box against the Big Unit. He got off to a rough start in the big leagues in 1984, going 0-4 while walking 26 batters in 29 innings. It’s understandable why the Expos decided to trade him for a more established and trusted starter. They sent him, along with Gene Harris and Brian Holman, to the Seattle Mariners for Mark Langston and Mike Campbell. Langston had a great career but only played a partial season with Seattle before signing with the Angels. Mike Campbell stayed in Triple-A Indianapolis the rest of the year before leaving, having never played a game with the Expos. Meanwhile, the Seattle Mariners picked up an all-time legend. It took a couple years to really figure out his command but once he did, Johnson became the best pitcher in the game, racking up 5 Cy Youngs, 10 All Star Selections, and 4 ERA titles. He helped the Mariners make the playoffs twice before moving onto Arizona, where he won a World Series ring and co-World Series MVP with Curt Schilling. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015 on his first ballot. This was without a doubt one of the worst trades in MLB history.

#1 – Boston Trades The Babe… For Cash

Babe Ruth with the Boston Red Sox

It was one of the most stunning moves in the history of the game. Back in 1919, the Boston Red Sox had on their roster the best baseball player to ever walk the Earth. His name was George Herman “Babe” Ruth. He was one of the best pitchers in the game, but even better at hitting. So much better, in fact, that the Red Sox moved him to the outfield and in 1919, he hit a then-record 29 home runs. This was a number that was unheard during this era. He also had a .322 batting average and was clearly on the verge of becoming an absolute baseball God that would change the entire game. So, what did Red Sox owner, Harry Frazee, do to take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? He made a deal with Yankees owner Colonel Jacob Ruppert and traded Ruth to the Yankees for $100,000, which would help him fund his plays and musicals. At least he knew there was no point trying to trade Babe Ruth for players.

“I should have preferred to have taken players in exchange for Ruth, but no club could have given me the equivalent in men without wrecking itself, and so the deal had to be made on a cash basis.”

-Harry Frazee

When the Yankees got Babe Ruth, they weren’t the Yankees we know today. They had never even been to a World Series, much less had won any. They were by far the least popular team in New York and didn’t even have their own stadium – The Giants were kind enough to let them use theirs. Ruth changed all that and the Yankees began a dynasty that lasted for decades. Ruth’s popularity allowed the Yankees to build a new stadium and they started to attract more talent, more fans and, of course, more money for the owners. There is a high likelihood that if Babe Ruth never came along, the Yankees would have moved to the west coast instead of the Giants or Dodgers. They could’ve been the San Francisco Yankees. Instead, the team went on to win 27 world championships and counting and are a team of legends that began with Ruth and was followed by the likes of Lou Gerhig, Joe Dimaggio, Mickey Mantle, Don Mattingly, Derek Jeter and Aaron Judge. Sadly, the effect on the Red Sox seemed to be just the opposite, as the Curse of the Bambino initiated a massive drought in World Series Championships for the Red Sox, who at the time of the trade, already had four rings. They would not win another for 86 years.