The Worst Trade In Sports History

Just a few years ago, the Eagles were looking to break through as an elite NFL team. They had coveted coach Chip Kelly, receivers Desean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, and premiere running back Shady McCoy.

Fast forward a few years and all those cogs are no longer in place. The organization is in turmoil and they may have cemented themselves as a bottom dweller of the NFL for the foreseeable future. The Eagles traded a total of five draft picks to the Cleveland Browns in order to move up just six spots in the draft, to have the chance to draft Carson Wentz.

Moving up in a draft, especially into the top three, is never cheap. But what the Eagles gave up to move up just a handful of spots, in a draft class that has been considered weak by every expert, is absurd. The Eagles needed a quarterback, as Sam Bradford doesn’t appear to be a Super Bowl QB. But there were plenty of other positions that this team needed help in. By trading next year’s first round pick, they won’t be able to improve their mediocre roster. This trade isn’t only bad because its lopsided. This trade is bad because the Eagles cemented themselves in mediocrity for the next 5 years.

So that brings up the question, what is the worst trade we’ve ever seen? We’ve seen plenty of times when prospects were traded and one goes on to be a hall of famer, and the other a bust. Sure that’s bad, but it’s almost impossible to project how prospects are going to turn out, so it’s tough to blame the organization. The worst trade is one where an organization gave up a player in his prime, and got absolutely nothing back.

The worst trade in history is that of Babe Ruth. Ruth was traded from Boston in 1919 for a loan that the Red Sox used to finance a musical. That’s right, the Red Sox traded the greatest hitter to ever live, to their biggest rivals, for a musical.

Sure the Red Sox didn’t know Ruth would go on to help the Yankees win more World Series’ in his time than the Red Sox would win in nearly 100 years. The Red Sox started the Yankees dynasty. This trade was the worst trade in sports history, not only because of the long negative impact for the Red Sox, but because it catapulted the Yankees into a super team. Plus, the trade was kind of embarrassing. A musical? Really Boston?

–Michael Hersey