Worst Trades in Dodgers History

The Los Angeles Dodgers haven't won a championship since 1988, and have spent much of the past through decades as the team of "What Coulda Been."

Instead of embodying close calls, though, the LAD could've gotten over the hump a few more times, if not for these trade mistakes (and rampant cheating in 2017, but we digress).

5. John Franco to the Reds, 1983

Clearly, the Dodgers were a bit behind the curve in terms of evaluating relievers, in an era where most people in baseball still viewed them as failed starters. Midway through the 1983 campaign, the Dodgers sent Franco to the Reds for utility man Rafael Landestoy. Landestoy retired after the 1984 season, and Franco saved 424 games in the bigs.

4. Sid Fernandez to the Mets, 1983

If the Dodgers knew the Mets were about to become a powerhouse, and they'd have to reckon with them in the 1988 postseason, they probably would't have dealt them El Sid. Fernandez, dealt by the LAD after his rookie year, went 16-6 with a 3.52 ERA in the Mets' 1986 championship season, and had a 3.03 mark in '88 when these two teams met in the postseason. The Dodgers won that series, though, so maybe no harm, no foul?

3. Paul Konerko for Jeff Shaw, 1998

The Dodgers weren't the only team to give up on Paul Konerko too soon, but it still stung. When Los Angeles traded a prospect version of Konerko to Cincinnati for closer Jeff Shaw, it initially looked like they'd undone the damage from the John Franco deal. Shaw was an All-Star in '98 (and 2001), and LA had a title run to make. Unfortunately, they went ringless, and Konerko blasted 439 homers in his career, just four of them coming in Dodger Blue.

2. Davey Lopes for Lance Hudson, 1982

The Dodgers cut bait on a 36-year-old Lopes following the 1982 season, getting the 1981 title and two additional NL pennants out of his tenure. Theoretically, that's the kind of person you trade for a prospect, as your contention window is closing. However, Lopes remained a contributor for the A's and Cubs into his early 40s, and Lance Hudson was...not a guy. Never made it past Double-A.

1. Pedro Martinez to the Expos (Why?!), 1993

Yes, the 1990s Dodgers (and 2000s Dodgers, considering they had Dodger Money) could've had a rotation fronted by Pedro Martinez. Instead, they dealt him as a 21-year-old for Delino DeShields, who averaged .255 across four blah seasons in blue. Martinez truly blossomed in Montreal, and the cash-poor Expos flipped him to the Red Sox and created a legend. How did you let this one get away, Dodgers? You had Pedro's brother right there to listen to!