The best and worst trades in L.A. sports history?

Mr.Tricky

Hey ya'll, what do you guy's think is the best and worst trades in L.A. sports history? I think the worst was trading Pedro Martinez for Delino Deshields, that was terrible. The Gail Goodrich for Magic, we really got over on that one is my choice for the best.

unggoy · Star Player Joined: 03 Mar 2002 Posts: 5690

Now, of course, the Martinez/DeShields trade look horrendous, but at the time, it did make a bit of sense. Jody Reed was the Dodgers 2nd baseman, and held out for more money than he deserved, and eventually signed with Milwaukee (for much less than he was asking from LA). DeShields was considered one of the best young infielders at the time, and the Dodgers had a surplus of pitching. Pedro played - effectively - one season and put up some pretty good numbers, but nobody envisioned what he would become. It was a trade that was made for a need for a middle infielder, and they accomplished that. No one could have predicted that DeShield's batting average would drop 45 points like it did in his first year here, and it went as low as .224 a couple of years later.

If they had to do it again, of course the Dodgers wouldn't pull the trigger on that trade, but at the time, they could justify it.

Conversely, Eric Gagne was very close to getting traded to Toronto (for what would become Cesar Izturis and Paul Quantrill) but Luke Prokopec went instead. Again, nobody knew at the time that Gagne would go from 'Going, Going Gagne', the starter to 'Game Over'. I remember the outrage that the Dodgers sent one of their best young pitchers for some shortstop nobody had heard of.

frijolero01 · Franchise Player Joined: 10 May 2005 Posts: 13324

Mike Piazza, Tod Ziele (and I forgot who else) for Gary Sheffield, Jim Eisenreich, Bobby Bonilla, and Devon White
_________________
Thank you, Kobe. We love you.

unggoy · Star Player Joined: 03 Mar 2002 Posts: 5690

frijolero01 · Franchise Player Joined: 10 May 2005 Posts: 13324

Thats right! charles johnson. He only had 1 error as a catcher and of course once he came to the dodgers, he had an error every game.
_________________
Thank you, Kobe. We love you.

Flight · Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2006 1:28 pm Post subject:

I hated the Eddie Jones for Glen Rice trade.

LarryCoon · Site Staff Joined: 11 Aug 2002 Posts: 11266

Vancouver Fan · Franchise Player Joined: 17 Apr 2006 Posts: 17740

20,000 · Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2006 1:37 pm Post subject:

How did the Kings get Wayne Gretzky? Was that a trade?
_________________
Courage doesn't always roar.
Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying...'I will try again tomorrow.'

unggoy · Star Player Joined: 03 Mar 2002 Posts: 5690

ocho · Retired Number Joined: 24 May 2005 Posts: 54021

LarryCoon · Site Staff Joined: 11 Aug 2002 Posts: 11266

We already had Shaq.

frijolero01 · Franchise Player Joined: 10 May 2005 Posts: 13324

well, after watching the dodgers tonight id say trading Paul Lo Duca, Guillermo Mota for Brad "i blew game 1" Penny.
_________________
Thank you, Kobe. We love you.

Mr.Tricky · Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2006 3:37 pm Post subject:

angel · Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2006 4:15 pm Post subject:

Trading Vlade for the rights to Kobe, which made space for Shaq has to rate up there.
_________________
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that." ~~Martin Luther King Jr.~~

Socks · Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2006 4:23 pm Post subject:

1968-69: The Philadelphia 76ers trade Wilt Chamberlain to the Lakers fror Darrall Imhoff, Archie Clark, Jerry Chambers, and cash.

1975-76: The Milwaukee Bucks trade Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the Lakers for Elmore Smith, Brian Winters, Junior Bridgeman and Dave Meyers.

Not too shabby...

Canadian Laker · Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2006 7:27 pm Post subject:

Basketball Fan · Franchise Player Joined: 03 Feb 2004 Posts: 24811

^Don't they still hate Janet Jones till this day? She was a 'professional groupie" right along with Jeanie Buss back in the day.

pokoy · Moderator Joined: 12 Apr 2001 Posts: 14545

wolfpaclaker · Retired Number Joined: 29 May 2002 Posts: 58424

Oh that Gretzky trade was amazing. I had relatives in Edmonton would be crying over that and I was estatic.

Not that I was a big Kings or hockey fan but that one trade made me interested in the NHL for 2-3 years in LA. It was aactually alot of fun to have two teams to root for in the early 90's. Once Magic got HIV, the Lakers championship aspirations left with. Less than 2 years after his announcement, the Kings went to the NHL Finals.

Actually went to some of the games.

BTW - I would say Divac for the draft rights to Kobe Bryant has to be right up there, no?

Worst - I can only say in regards to the Lakers. Nick Van Excel for Tony Battie who we later dealt somewhere else. That was a really bad trade. I don't care if Shaq wanted Nick gone, we should have gotten a PG back i n a NVE trade. That trade is one of the bigger reasons that the Lakers still have one of the worst disaparities in PG play.

Dorray · Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2006 9:19 pm Post subject:

20,000 · Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2006 6:34 am Post subject:

lakersdynasty999 · Star Player Joined: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 1893

Canadian Laker · Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2006 12:55 pm Post subject:

wolfpaclaker · Retired Number Joined: 29 May 2002 Posts: 58424

Wayne didn't want to leave, initially. He had just won his 4th championship in 5 years (I think) and was so happy being part of a dynasty there. However then Oilers owned needed money and actually considered a trade of his franchise player if the price was right.

In the 80's I would say 20 million is something like 100 million right now in terms of what you could buy with it. Atleast it is with real estate in some areas I know ....

So that was a ton of money.

In the end I don't think it was just Janet but she certainly must have made the transition easier for him.