The Dodgers’ worst, and best, trades

DODGERS TRADES

50-YEAR WORST

1 – Nov. 17, 1993: Fred Claire tried to fill a second base hole by acquiring Delino DeShields from Montreal for Pedro Martinez, who promptly started on his way to Cooperstown while DeShields was headed to an early retirement.

2 – It is difficult to separate a series of trades negotiated by Al Campanis and Claire through the ’80s and ’90s that, in addition to Martinez, cost the Dodgers a valuable array of young pitchers – John Franco, Rick Sutcliffe, Dave Stewart and John Wetteland – while netting virtually nothing in the way of long-lasting return.

3 – Dec. 1, 1966: In a spiteful move involving Maury Wills’ protest over the absence of payment involving a team trip to Japan, Walter O’Malley ordered his shortstop and team captain traded to Pittsburgh for Bob Bailey (.227 in two seasons in L.A.) and Gene Michael (.202 in his only L.A. season). The Dodgers made amends about two years later by reacquiring the catalytic Wills and pinch-hitting specialist Manny Mota from Montreal for Ron Fairly and Paul Popovich, one of their best trades.

4 – It is hard to overlook the 1998 trade that cost the club Paul Konerko for Jeff Shaw or the April 4 deal in 2004 that brought the destructive Milton Bradley for Franklin Gutierrez, who has since fulfilled his promise in the Cleveland outfield, but Paul DePodesta may have compounded Bradley’s eventual chemistry implosion a month later when he traded Paul Lo Duca, Guillermo Mota and Juan Encarnacion to Florida for Brad Penny, Hee-Seop Choi and Bill Murphy, the Dodgers never regaining the roll they had been on at the time.

5 – Going behind Claire’s back on May 15, 1998, Fox executive Chase Carey set the chaotic tone that marked Rupert Murdoch’s ownership by trading Mike Piazza, a future Hall of Fame catcher and arguably the most popular player in franchise history, to the Florida Marlins in a seven-player deal that netted Gary Sheffield, chaos personified.

BEST

1 – It is hard to top Buzzie Bavasi’s Dec. 4, 1958, deal that sent Gino Cimoli to St. Louis for Wally Moon, whose Moon Shots over the Coliseum’s left-field screen in 1959 helped produce a pennant and World Series title in the club’s second year in Los Angeles, helping generate 50 years of Space Age popularity.

2 – The Nov. 17, 1975, deal by Campanis that brought Dusty Baker from the Atlanta Braves for Jimmy Wynn and Tom Paciorek added a valuable clutch bat to the pennant-winning teams of 1977 and ‘78 and a forceful leader at a time where there was as much disruptive envy as solidarity in the clubhouse.

3 – Kinesiology specialist Mike Marshall was as much character as competitor at times, but his record resiliency as the Dodgers’ closer in 1974 contributed to a pennant and represented a 1973 Campanis steal in exchange for the aging Willie Davis.

4 – The 1974 deal that brought future World Series MVP Pedro Guerrero from the Cleveland Indians for pitcher Bruce Ellingsen, who would appear in only 16 games with the Indians, while Guerrero hit .309 in 11 seasons with the Dodgers.

5 – There were contributions for both sides when the Dodgers and Angels made a seven-player trade in 1972 that sent Andy Messersmith and Ken McMullen to the Dodgers for Frank Robinson, Bill Singer, Mike Strahler, Bill Grabarkewitz and Bobby Valentine, but this has to be listed as a last of a kind somewhere since it’s doubtful Frank McCourt and Arte Moreno will ever acknowledge there’s another Los Angeles team with which to deal.

– Ross Newhan