Trades: The Best and the Worst.

                                 Duke-not Snider broached this topic to me. I think I once did a post about the best and worst trades before, but not for this site. So, I will just go back a little in time and recap some trades which had either a positive or negative impact on the team. But to keep it simple, I will stick to deals made after they moved to LA. I will mention a couple of trades they made shortly before they moved to LA. Trades that went the Dodgers way.

NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 5: Al Gionfriddo #30 of the Brooklyn Dodgers makes a spectacular catch robbing Joe DiMaggio #5 of the New York Yankees of a game-tying three-run home run in the sixth inning during Game 6 of the 1947 World Series at Yankee Stadium.

                                               A couple of trades made in 1947 are important in a historical sense. They were made to get malcontents off of the team. A couple of these players had signed the petition to keep Jackie Robinson off of the roster, saying they did not want to play on the same team as a black man. The first one happened in May. The Dodgers sent Hank Behrman, Dixie Howell, Cal McLish, Gene Mauch, and Kirby Higbe to the Pirates for Al Gionfriddo and 100,000$ cash. Higbe was one of the leaders of the players signing the petition. Gionfriddo would make one of the best defensive plays in World Series history when he robbed Joe DiMaggio of a homer in game 6. 

                                             The other trade was made in December of 47. Brooklyn traded Hal Gregg, Vic Lombardi and Dixie Walker to the Pirates for Gene Mauch, Billy Cox, and Preacher Roe. Walker was very outspoken about not playing with Robinson. Although he requested a trade, it was not made until after the season, unlike Higbe. Dixie would later say that starting the petition was one of the dumbest things he ever did. As for Cox and Roe, they were contributors to three pennant winning teams, and Mauch, well he went on to a long career as a manager. 

                                            A little side note, on November 24th, 1948, the Dodgers selected LHP, Tommy Lasorda from the Phillies in the minor league draft. We all know how that worked out. In October of 1950, they traded Chuck Connors to the Cubs. In the years between 1950-57, the Dodgers drafted or signed several players who would play for them in LA< including Podres, the Sherry brothers, Big D, Don Demeter, Wills, and a kid named Koufax. Their last deal in Brooklyn was Sal Maglie being selected by the Yankees off of waivers.

                                          The first trade by Bavasi in LA came in June of 58 when he shipped Don Newcombe to the Reds for 4 players, Bilko, Klippstein, Art Fowler, and Charlie Rabe. Only Klippstein and Fowler were with the Dodgers in 1959. In December, Bavasi traded Gino Cimoli to the Cardinals for Wally Moon and Phil Paine, a pitcher. This was a steal for LA. Moon would play with the Dodgers until 1965, playing on 3 World Series winners. Cimoli lasted one year in St. Louis, was traded to Pittsburgh and bounced around the rest of his career.  

                                         In June of 59, Bavasi sent Dick Gray to the Cardinals for Chuck Essegian and Llyod Merritt. Essegian would hit 2 pinch hit homers in the World Series against the White Sox. In a trade that would not be considered good, he sent Jim Gentile to the Orioles for two players, and 50,000 dollars. Willy Miranda and Bill Lajoie. Neither would play a game for LA. Gentile would hit 179 homers in his 9-year career. Including 20 or more five straight years.

                                        In April of 1960, Buzzie traded long-time Dodger, Don Zimmer to the Cubs for three players and 25,000 dollars. One of those players would become the Dodgers closer, and later a pitching coach, Ron Perranoski. He got another lefty reliever in the winter of 63 when he traded Dick Scott to the Cubs and received Jim Brewer back. Brewer pitched for the Dodgers for 12 years and had 133 saves. 

                                     In December of 1964, Bavasi traded Frank Howard, Phil Ortega, Ken McMullen and Pete Richert to the Senators for John Kennedy, the third baseman, not the president, and Claude Osteen and 100,000 dollars. This trade benefitted both teams as Howard reached his real power potential in DC, and Osteen was a huge part of the Dodgers starting rotation until 1974. Richert would return to the Dodgers in 72 for two seasons. McMullen returned in 73 and remained until 75.

                                 After the 1966 World Series, Bavasi, on orders from O’Malley, traded Maury Wills to the Pirates for Bob Bailey and Gene Michael. Bailey played 2 years in LA appearing in 221 games. Michael was sold to the Yankees after the 67 season. Wills returned to the Dodgers in a trade with the Expos that also brought Manny Mota to LA for Fairly and Paul Popovich. Wills would retire after the 72 season. 

                                Bavasi left after the 67 season to go to work for the expansion Padres. Fresco Thompson took over as GM in June, but he died in November. Al Campanis became his replacement. His first trade brought Andy Kosco to the Dodgers. His second, sent his son to the Royals. It was Campanis who brought Wills back to LA in June of 69. 

                               After the 1970 season, he traded Ted Sizemore and Bob Stinson to the Cardinals for Dick Allen. Allen clashed with Alston, and after the 70 season he was shipped to the White Sox for Tommy John, who had a somewhat longer and more distinguished Dodger tenure. John went 87-42 in his six years in LA. That same day that he traded Allen, Campanis sent Doyle Alexander, Bob O’Brien, Sergio Robles and Royal Stillman to the Orioles for Frank Robinson and Pete Richert. In February of 71 he had traded for Al Downing. Downing won 20 games in 1971, pitched for the Dodgers for 7 years and never won in double figures again. But he did join the broadcast team where he worked for several years. 

                            Robinson, like Allen, clashed with Alston and was gone after one year. The Robinson trade, one of the more memorable trades Campanis made, sent Robinson, Bobby Valentine, Grabarkewitz, Bill Singer, and Mike Strahler, to the Angels for Ken McMullen and Andy Messersmith. Both McMullen and Messersmith would be part of the 74 NL Championship team. 

                             After the 73 season, Campanis made two trades that impacted the 74 team. On December 5th, he traded long time Dodger and fan favorite, Willie Davis to the Expos for reliever, Mike Marshall. The next day he sent Claude Osteen and David Culpepper to the Astros for slugger, Jimmy Wynn. Marshall would win the Cy Young award, appearing in a record 106 games. Wynn added a RH power bat to go with Garvey, Cey and company. 

                            The Dodgers were back to being a power in the NL. But they could not compete with the Big Red Machine in 75-76. After the 75 season, Campanis made another blockbuster trade, sending Wynn, Lee Lacy, Tom Paciorek, and Jerry Royster to the Braves for Dusty Baker and Ed Goodson. Baker would play for LA until 1983 and was the member of three pennant winning teams. With the 81 team, winning the World Series. Dusty also managed five different teams over 26 years as a manager, winning the World Series with the Astros in 2022. 

                          During the 76 season, Campanis made another trade that would impact LA for many years, he sent Joe Ferguson, Bobby Detherage and Freddie Tisdale to the Cardinals for Reggie Smith. Smith was also a big part of those pennant winning teams in 77-78. He would later become the Dodgers hitting coach. In January of 77, Campanis traded another popular Dodger, Bill Buckner, along with Ivan de Jesus, and Jeff Albert, to the Cubs for CF Rick Monday and Mike Garman. Monday would also impact NL champs and hit a series clinching home run in 1981. He also has been on the broadcast team for many years.  

                           It would be March of 81 before Campanis made another trade that brought an everyday player to LA. He traded Mickey Hatcher, and two minor leaguers to the Twins for CF Kenny Landreaux. Ken would play 7 years in LA and retire as a Dodger. I felt Campanis made a bad trade when he sent Rick Sutcliffe to Cleveland as part of the Jorge Orta trade. Sutcliffe would win a Cy Young just three years later with the Cubs after being traded early in the year.

                          In August of 1983, he traded Dave Stewart and Ricky Wright to the Rangers for Rick Honeycutt. Stewart would win 20 games or more four straight years with the A’s. Honeycutt would be a Dodger for 5 years, and then after retiring, come back as LA’s pitching coach. In December of 83, he made one of his worst trades when he sent Sid Fernandez and Ross Jones to the Mets for Bob Bailor and Carlos Diaz. Bailor was a part time player who was not a very good hitter, Diaz spent some time in the Dodger pen. But Fernandez won 98 games in his 10 years with the Mets. 

                          His last two trades brought 3 pitchers to the Dodgers, Tim Crews, Tim Leary and Matt Young. In April, he went on TV and in an interview made some embarrassing remarks about blacks. He resigned on the 8th of April.  Fred Claire replaced Campanis and would stay the GM until 1998. His first trade sent Niedenfuer to the Orioles for John Shelby.

                           In August of 87, he traded Honeycutt to the A’s for Tim Belcher. In December of that year, he made a blockbuster trade with the A’s and Mets. The trade netted the Dodgers, SS Alfredo Griffin, RP Jay Howell and RP Jesse Orosco. All would play roles on the 88 World Championship team. His most important move though was signing free agent OF Kirk Gibson in January of 1988. 

                          In August he traded Pedro Guerrero to the Cardinals for John Tudor. In my mind this was a bad deal. Tudor won 4 games for LA that season, and none the next and he was done. Guererro remained a productive hitter for three more seasons. Since 1988 would be their last World Series appearance until 2017, many of the trades over the next several years would usually just affect in season play. Between 1988 and 2003, the Dodgers had exactly two playoff appearances. 95-96. 

                          That doesn’t mean Claire did not try and improve the team. After 88, he traded for Eddie Murray. He traded Mariano Duncan and Tim Leary to the Reds for Kal Daniels and Lenny Harris. He signed Strawberry as a free agent in 1990. In October of 91, he traded Belcher and Wetteland to the Reds for Eric Davis and Kip Gross. Gross and Davis would both spend just 2 years as Dodgers. 

                        In November of 92 he got Tim Wallach from the Expos for a minor leaguer. But in November of 93, at the urging of Tommy Lasorda, he traded Pedro Martinez to the Expos for Delino De Shields. Lasorda felt Martinez was to slight in stature to be a starting pitcher. Boy did he get that one wrong. The team needed a second baseman because Jody Reed had not been re-signed. Martinez is of course in the Hall of Fame. De Shields in the hall of shame. On the list of bad trades, this is definitely in the top 5. 

                          The Dodgers were beginning to see some improvement in their player development department. Three of the ROY’s in the early 90’s were Dodger draftees. Piazza, Karros and Hollandsworth. Nomo and Mondesi came from the international signings. But Claire still needed to add via free agency or trades. In August of 95, he reacquired Brett Butler. Butler had left as a free agent after the 94 season, which was ended by a strike. He had also been very outspoken about the few replacement players who had been retained by MLB teams. One of them, Jeff Hamilton, was a Dodger. Butler would retire as a Dodger after the 97 season. 

                          The team made it to the playoffs in 95 and 96. They got swept in the NLDS both times. Lasorda’s heart attack forced him to retire after 76 games, and Bill Russell took over as the new manager. Claire did little to improve the team in the winter of 95, and the only trade made at the deadline brought them outfielder, Chad Curtis. 97 brought a second-place finish for the team. They made no major moves during the season except trading for Otis Nixon, who obviously was in decline.  

                           Peter O’Malley sold the team after the 97 season to Fox News Corp. Fred Claire was still the GM, but on May 14th, Fox execs went over his head and traded pending free agent, Mike Piazza, and Todd Zeile, to the Marlins for 5 players, Gary Sheffield, Charles Johnson, Bobby Bonilla, Jim Eisenreich and Manuel Barrios. Dodger fans were stunned. Piazza was maybe the most popular player on the team. Zeile was a solid third baseman. Fox execs thought Piazza’s salary demands for a new contract were exorbitant. No one knows the exact amount he was asking for, some say 100 million. Anyway, Claire was blind-sided and knew nothing of the impending deal. He would resign and Lasorda was named interim GM. 

                        The Dodgers would get three full years and 90 games out of Sheffield. He clubbed 129 homers and hit .312 in his time with LA. Piazza would only be in Miami for 5 games before being traded to the Mets. The two were very close in production over the next 3 seasons. Piazza had a handful more homers and around 30 more RBI’s. Johnson was gone after one year traded to the Mets in the Todd Hundley trade. The same day he was traded to the Mets, they turned around and traded him to the Orioles for reliever Armando Benitez. Barrios pitched in 1 game. Bonilla, who was 35 when the trade was made, played only 72 games and was gone to the Mets the next season. Eisenreich, who suffered from Tourette’s syndrome, played in 75 games and retired after the season.  

                          If you look at it statistically, it is a wash for the time Sheffield was a Dodger. Zeile would end up getting traded to the Rangers. But he had four very productive years before declining. To Dodger fans though, this trade ranks in the top five as one of the worst. Piazza is in the hall. Sheffield, due to suspected PED use, and even though he has 509 career homers, is on the outside looking in.

                             Now the interim GM, Lasorda made his first trade in July. He sent C-1B, Paul Konerko and LHP Dennys Reyes to the Reds for closer Jeff Shaw. Konerko would play 1 season with the Reds, and then he was traded to the White Sox where he became one of the AL’s most feared sluggers. Shaw pitched four solid seasons in LA, racking up 129 saves. The White Sox got 432 homers from Konerko. 429 more than the Reds did. Tommy’s next big deal sent four players, including Ted Lilly, to the Expos for Hiram Bocachica, Mark Grudzelanek, and Odalis Perez. 

                    Kevin Malone took over as GM and hired Davey Johnson to manage. His first trade in December of 98, brought Hundley to the team. He signed RHP Kevin Brown to a massive deal. Those were his major acquisitions for 99. After the third-place finish in 99, he traded former ROY, Raul Mondesi to the Blue Jays for OF, Shawn Green. This turned out to be a very good trade. Green would have a very productive 5-season career in LA, including setting the team record for homers in a season with 49. He also had a four-homer game in Milwaukee. His HR record stood until 2024, when Shohei Ohtani blasted 54.

                          Both Johnson and Malone were gone after the 2000 season, replaced by Dave Wallace, who was the interim GM and Jim Tracy. Wallace’s first trade came in February when he sent Devon White to the Brewers for Marquis Grissom and Rudy Lugo. The team finished third, 6 games back of eventual champion, Arizona. Dan Evans took over as GM in 2002. Fox was getting ready to sell the team. 

                        In December, he made two trades. In the first he traded Luke Prokopec and a minor leaguer to the Jays for Cesar Izturis and Paul Quantrill. Then he shipped two minor leaguers to Cleveland for CF, Dave Roberts. But in January, he made his first major trade. The Dodgers sent Gary Sheffield to the Braves for Odalis Perez, Brian Jordan and a minor leaguer.

                       Izturis would play SS for LA for about 5 years. Roberts was traded to Boston and will forever be remembered there for his stolen base in the playoffs that helped Boston come back to win the series. Perez had his two best seasons in LA but was somewhat of an enigma after that. Jordan had a good first year in LA but was injured much of the second and left in 2004. Quantrill pitched in 89 games his first year and 86 in 2003. The team finished 3rd despite winning 92 games. 

                    In the winter of 2002, Evans sent Eric Karros to the Cubs along with Grudzielanek for Todd Hundley and Chad Hermansen. This trade was a total loss. Hundley played in exactly 21 games. Hermansen was so-so. Both Karros and Grudzielanek had good years with Chicago. He also traded for Robin Ventura in July, sending Bubba Crosby and Scott Proctor to the Yankees. Ventura’s play in LA was mediocre, Proctor lasted just that season with the Yanks, and Crosby never reached the potential they thought he would. LA finished second to the Giants, 15.5 games back. 

                 Fox sold the team that winter and Paul DePodesta replaced Evans. Before he left, Evans unloaded Kevin Brown to the Yankees in December of 03. He received Jeff Weaver, Yancy Brazoban and a minor leaguer plus cash. DePodestas first trade brought Jason Werth to LA for Jason Frasor. Werth would develop into a good major league player, with the Phillies. He had injury issues with LA and left after the 05 season.

               DePodesta made two trades in April which would later impact LA in a big way when he first traded for Milton Bradley and then made a trade for Antonio Perez. In June, he made his first blockbuster sending LoDuca, Juan Encarnacion, and Guillermo Mota to the Marlins for He-Sop Choi, Bill Murphy and Brad Penny. The Dodgers got a slight edge in this one. Penny pitched in LA for a little over four years. Murphy never pitched in LA, Choi was totally unwatchable the first year, so-so the next and he was gone. None of the three players who went to Miami played there for more than two years.

            In June, he made a deal with the D-Backs that brought Steve Finley to LA. Finley would play only a couple months in LA. He hit three homers. But his grand slam against the Giants in game 161, helped the Dodgers clinch the division for the first time since 1995. They would lose the NLDS to the Cardinals. But LA fans must have thought at that moment that the Dodgers were back. McCourt’s first season as an owner was more successful than any of Fox’s had been. Time would change their tune. 

         In January of 05, DePodesta traded Shawn Green to Arizona for Dioneer Navarro and a minor leaguer. Az won this trade. Navarro was a bust and was traded after 2006 to the Rays. Green played two years in Arizona and did ok. DePodesta made no major moves the entire 2005 season. He was fired in October and replaced soon thereafter by Ned Colletti. Jim Tracy was also let go and the Dodgers hired Grady Little. They now had more managers in the 10 years since Lasorda had to retire than they had in the previous 45 years.

           Colletti’s first trade would be a total winner for the Dodgers. He sent the aforementioned Bradley and Perez to the A’s for RF, Andre Ethier. Ethier would spend his entire career in LA and was nicknamed “Captain Clutch”. Colletti was also busy on the free agent front, bringing in Rafael Furcal, Nomar Garciaparra and Kenny Lofton. Just before spring training he brought in Japanese reliever, Takashi Saito. On the 31st of July in 06, he traded Izturis to the Cubs for Greg Maddux. LA finished in a tie with SD but lost the tiebreaker so they were second. They were then swept out of the playoffs by the Mets. 

            That winter, they signed Juan Pierre, Jason Schmidt, Luis Gonzalez, re-signed Nomar, Randy Wolf, and Luis Gonzalez. But they did not make a major trade that year at all. At the end of the year, Little, was let go after a fourth-place finish. Joe Torre came aboard as manager. Colletti signed Hiroki Kuroda, Andruw Jones as free agents. Jones was as we all know, a total bust. He would be gone after the season. 

            With the Dodgers in a tight race with the D-Backs, Colletti made a blockbuster three-team trade in July. He sent Andy LaRoche and Brandon Morris to the Pirates, who in turn sent Jason Bay to the Red Sox, who sent Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers, and they sent Brandon Moss and Greg Hansen to the Pirates. For the 2008 season, this trade was definitely one of the Dodgers best ever. 

            Left field in LA became Mannywood. For his 53-game stint in LA in 08, Manny was on fire. He hit .396, with 17 homers, 53 driven in, and an OPS of 1.232. His number 99 jersey was seen all over the ballpark and they even sold his dreadlocks. It was bedlam at the ballpark. The Dodgers only won 84 games, but they edged Az by 2 for the division title. Martinez batted over .500 in the playoffs against the Cubs and Phillies with 4 homers and 10 driven in. They swept the Cubs, but then lost to Philly, 3-1.  

             Over the winter, Manny was a free agent, so the big question was would LA resign him. What fans did not know, and did not suspect, was that the Dodgers were beginning to have some serious financial issues. At least McCourt was. He would soon be locked in a messy divorce. But Colletti had a team to build. He released Jones in January. They signed a lot of fringe players. Orlando Hudson was signed in February. Then on March 4th, they brought Ramirez back. It would turn out to not be a great decision. Manny would be suspended for 50 games for PED use. He would hit .290 with 19 homers, but he never played a full season in the majors again. 

          LA beat out Colorado for the division title, then swept the Cardinals in the NLDS, but lost to Philadelphia again. Manny hit over .300 in the playoffs, but had only 1 homer and 3 driven in. They had made no major trades during the season. Colletti at this point, was not really allowed to go after the top free agents. McCourt was really having financial problems, and the league would soon take over the team and force McCourt to sell. 

          Fortunately for Dodger fans the Dodgers scouting director, Logan White, was loading up the farm system with some very good prospects, several of whom would make their debuts very soon. Colletti was forced more or less to sign aging veterans on their way down and hope to get a little production out of them. Guys like Brian Giles and Garrett Anderson. 

           He made trades for Scott Podsednik, Octavio Dotel, and Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot in July. He got cash back in two of those deals. They needed it to pay salaries. The team floundered and finished 4th, under .500 and 12 games back of the Giants. Torre retired and Don Mattingly took over as manager. The Dodgers were now playing more of their homegrown guys. Matt Kemp was the new CF, Ethier was in right. Loney was at first, and Kershaw and Billingsly were leading the pitching staff. They improved a little winning 82 games and finishing third in 2011. Kemp just missed being a 40/40 guy and should have won the MVP. 

           McCourt’s problems were now out in the open. The league was operating the team from April of 2011. He agreed to sell the team in March of 2012 to the Guggenheim group. The sale was official on May 1st. The Dodgers had new ownership, and something they had not had for many years, stability in the ownership and money.

           Colletti, still the GM, had a team to build. His first major trade under new ownership was made in July. He traded Nathan Eovaldi and Scott McGough to the Marlins for Hanley Ramirez and Randy Choate. Ramirez would not impact the 2012 team that much, but he was a huge part of the offense in 13 despite only playing in 86 games. 

            In August, Colletti, with the approval of ownership, made what would be called, The Trade. He sent four players, the most prominent being first baseman, James Loney, to the Red Sox for Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, Nick Punto and cash. LA later sent Jerry Sands and Rubby De La Rosa to Boston to finalize the deal. The players did no make a huge difference in 2012. But all would have roles in 13. Punto got a lot of face time on TV because of Danny DeVito wearing his # 7 uni many times at the stadium.  LA finished second and missed the playoffs. They haven’t missed a year since and only finished second in 2021.

             Unless we have worn blinders, we all know what moves have been made in the last 11 years. Andrew Freidman took over after the 2014 season, and for my money, has probably been one of the busiest front office gurus I have ever seen. Along with his various GM’s, starting with Zaidi, they Dodgers made several big trades, some small ones and a ton of free agent signings. To me though, trading for Mookie Betts was AF’s biggest and best trade. Betts has been nothing short of great as a Dodger. He also locked Betts up long term. Mookie should retire as a Dodger, and he is also a lock to go into the Hall of Fame in my humble opinion. 

            Freidman has also signed numerous really good free agents, and he has made in season trades when needed. He backed out of some and went headlong into others. As with all fans, I liked a few, hated a few, and of course, totally disagreed with others. When it was first made, I liked the Machado trade since LA basically gave up little for an All-Star SS. But I soured on Machado due to what I felt was less than a full effort on the field, his bad sportsmanship in the playoffs with the Brewers, and his total disappearance in the World Series with Boston. I was glad when he wasn’t resigned. The only reason that trade was made was because Seager was injured. 

           I loved the Trea Turner-Scherzer trade. Until the playoffs, I thought Scherzer was going to be the difference. But he was injured and unable to make his start in the NLCS. Total disappointment. So, what are the best and worst trades in my mind?  Trading Piazza and Martinez are definitely 1-2 on the list. Trading Green for Navarro, bad deal. Many fans would add trading Yordan Alvarez for Josh Fields is right up there. But Alvarez had been with the organization less than 2 months and had never played a single game for the team. In hindsight, it was a bad trade. 

           The best trades? Betts for sure, getting John for Allen. The Ethier trade was a steal for LA. For the sheer mania that followed, getting Manny in 2008 was a great trade. Attendance went way up after that trade was made. Green for Mondesi was a win and a very good deal. I know there will be a lot of opinions on these trades. But just remember, the Dodgers when in Brooklyn, bought an entire minor league team to get just one player, Carl Furillo. No team would do that these days.