As a new season in Major League Baseball has begun, here is an opportunity to voice your opinions and which trades and free agent signings rank as the worst in baseball history.
My pick: The New York Mets trade Nolan Ryan to the Texas Rangers before the 1972 season for Frank Howard.
At the time, the Mets pondered trading Ryan for a third baseman but with the Washington Senators moving to Arlington, TX after the 1971 season, Frank Howard was reluctant to move west. With a surplus of pitching, the Mets craved a proven home run hitter and the Rangers were eager to land a native Texan for the publicity.
In Texas, Ryan became the most popular player in team history. He learned how to strike batters out. Although the Rangers finished in last place in 1972 and 1973, Ryan won 20 in 1972 and 18 in 1973. He served as a mentor for a young pitcher named David Clyde (who would be elected to the Hall of Fame in 1998).
In 1974, Ferguson Jenkins arrived and won 25 while Ryan had a 22-12 record with 395 strikeouts to win his first Cy Young. The Rangers finished 91-71 to win its first AL West division title, defeated the Yankees in the ALCs and the Dodgers in the World Series. The Rangers would win the World Series again in 1978, 1980, 1982 and 1983. Jenkins retired after the 1983 season. By the time Ryan retired in 1994, he pitched 8 no-hitters and had more strikeouts and wins than anyone in history. He had consecutive 20 win seasons from 1977-1985 and passed Cy Young on the all-time wins list in 1989. David Clyde played his entire career with the Rangers until he retired in 1993 with 318 lifetime victories and 3 Cy Young awards.
As for the Mets, Howard went bust. In the last weekend of the 1973 season, Rusty Staub hit 4 home runs to lead the Montreal Expos to the sweep of the Mets and win their first division title. Howard went 1-for-10 in that series and struck out 7 times. He retired after the 1973 season. The Expos won the National League pennant but lost the World Series to the A's.