Transactions Analysis: The Three Worst Trades of 2010

In an effort to keep the content current and on topic here, we thought we'd take a brief stroll down memory lane to look at three trades made this year. And no, not three good ones. Let's take a peek at the three worst trades made in the league this year. By "worst" we don't mean that one side got robbed, we mean that there were no clear winners in the deal. (El Angelo)

Perhaps another way to think of this is as the "least valuable" trades of the year, the transactional equivalent of Jose Guillen's entire season. (Teddy)

3. Scot trades Justin Smoak, Stephen Strasburg and a 3rd round pick to Andy for Chase Utley and Elvis Andrus. (June 8)

What looked like a trade of a ton of talent at the time turned into the fantasy version of Pass the Trash, as the 3rd round pick was probably the most valuable thing to change hands. Smoak was utter crap for the Mariners, while Strasburg won't be back until 2012 and is probably un-keepable. Tucker's email responding to the trade by calling it a "fleecing" might have been premature.

On Scot's side, Utley had okay stats for the year but missed a month and a half, starting almost immediately after Scot acquired him. At +3, he too should not be kept. Which leaves Elvis Andrus as the "prize" of the deal--a guy who had zero home runs and 35 RBIs on the season while posting a pedestrian .338 OBP, which is even worse when you consider that he was at about .375 when Scot acquired him. Yuck. (El Angelo)

While all that is true, one participant in the trade hit the board, so this probably wasn't all THAT unvaluable. That said, this trade absolutely wins for greatest gap between perceived value exchanged and actual value exchanged. (Teddy)

2. Andrew trades Raul Ibanez and Kendry Morales to Andy for James Shields and Denard Span. (June 21)

Ibanez was clearly just filler for the deal, meaning that Andy acquired Morales for Shields and Span. Who then promptly blew out his leg celebrating a walk-off home run. Wank. As for Shields and Span, they were both useful but clearly replacement level guys that won't be kept and helped Andrew achieve the goal of finishing out of last for the season. So there's that. (El Angelo)

This was a banner year for almost immediate post-trade injuries, between Morales's Pain Dance on home plate, Troy Tulowitzki getting injured in his first game on my team, and the shrapneling of Strasburg's elbow. Sending traded players in transit through the Yahoo! system is apparently the equivalent of sending Laurel and Hardy to move your piano. (Teddy)

1. Angelo trades Adam Jones and the pick that became Brandon League to Teddy for Rick Porcello and the pick that became Jason Hammel. February 24)

This isn't the worst trade of the year, this is the worst trade in the history of our league. Both of us correctly identified guys on our roster we thought would crater, and we were both right. Despite this prescient ability, we were both completely unable to see that the guys we were trading for would blow. And we completely blew the draft picks as well. Sigh. (El Angelo)

I cannot believe--CANNOT BELIEVE--that two guys who notionally provide fantasy advice chose Brandon League and Jason Hammel in a mixed-league draft.

The best part is going to be that someone, possibly even us, will talk themselves into drafting Jones and Porcello again this year. Those owners should then immediately trade Jones for Porcello straight up, so that Ang and I have company down here in infamy. (Teddy)