Dodgers Worst Trades In Team History
The Los Angeles Dodgers are two-time defending World Series champions, built from a mix of deft trades, farm system gems and the deepest wallet in baseball.
They're also unafraid to pull the trigger on a trade. For a team like the Dodgers, it's often about adding a big name to win now, in exchange for potential future standouts.
Some have worked, some have not.
Here are the five worst trades in Los Angeles Dodgers history.
4. Dick Allen to the White Sox for Tommy John and Steve Huntz (1972)
Allen was an All-Star with the Cardinals in 1970 before going to the Dodgers for '71. He had a solid season, batting .295 with 23 HR and 90 RBI, but moved before 1972 for the veteran left-hander John.
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Allen immediately proceeded to have one of the greatest seasons of his generation. He batted .308 and led the AL in home runs (37), RBI (113) and walks (99) among other categories, posting a massive 8.6 WAR and winning the AL MVP.
John spent six seasons with the Dodgers and was a standout in the last two, going a combined 37-17, including a runner-up finish for the NL Cy Young in 1977. That was after missing all of 1975 for a now-famous surgical procedure on his arm that would later be named after him.
John finished top 5 in Cy Young voting in 1979 and 1980 – with the Yankees. He pitched until 1989 before retiring at the age of 46. Huntz never suited up for L.A.
3. Paul Konerko to the Reds for Jeff Shaw (1998)
Konerko was a prospect for the Dodgers when he was moved to the Cincinnati Reds for the veteran reliever Shaw.
Shaw was OK for the Dodgers; he was an All-Star in his final season in 2001 at the age of 34 and had a 3.6 WAR over four full seasons.
But this is more about what ultimately was lost with Konerko. The first baseman went on to hit 439 home runs and lead the White Sox to a World Series in 2005. He was a six-time All-Star in 16 seasons with the Sox, and finished Top 6 in MVP voting twice.
2. Mike Piazza and Todd Zeile to the Marlins (1998)
A rare May blockbuster trade sent Piazza, already a superstar catcher at this point, for an army of Marlins, including Gary Sheffield, Bobby Bonilla, Charles Johnson, Jim Eisenreich and Manuel Barrios.
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Piazza was beloved in L.A. and had finished in the Top 10 of NL MVP voting five straight seasons before getting shipped. He finished the season in Florida before going to the Mets, where he made six more All-Star games en route to a Hall of Fame career.
1. Pedro Martinez to the Expos for Delino DeShields (1993)
Pedro, then 21, was a touted pitcher but still in the minor leagues when he was sent to Canada for DeShields in an effort to acquire a starting second baseman with speed.
This trade is widely regarded as a monumental miscalculation. DeShields spent just three seasons with the Dodgers, never batting higher than .256, never hitting more than eight home runs. His 1996 WAR in his final season in L.A. was -1.4. He went to the Cardinals in 1997.
Meanwhile, Martinez won his first of three Cy Young Awards in Montreal in 1997 before moving to Boston. He concluded his career in 2009 as one of the best pitchers in MLB history and a Hall of Famer.
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This story was originally published June 15, 2026 at 8:03 PM.