The Story Of The Worst MLB Trade Deadline Deal Of All Time
Flashback to 2018: The Tampa Bay Rays were hanging around the American League Wild Card race, sitting at an even 53-53. The Pittsburgh Pirates were a similar team, looking for the NL Central lead, sitting at 56-52 at the trade deadline. In honor of the 2023 MLB Trade Deadline, let’s recap the story of one of the worst MLB trades of all time.
The trade between the Pirates and Rays in 2018 is one of the most lopsided trades in recent MLB history. The Pirates sent Tyler Glasnow, Austin Meadows, and Shane Baz to the Rays in exchange for Chris Archer.
The centerpiece of this move was Archer headed to Pittsburgh. At the time of the trade, Archer was a two-time All-Star and had a 3.69 ERA in his career. As a 29-year-old two-time All-star, Archer was still a valuable piece considering he had two years left of team control. The Pirates thought they were getting a reliable starter to help bolster their playoff chances. They were getting a guy who had shown the potential of being an ace.
Archer was already not having his best season with the Rays in 2018, where he had a 4.31 ERA in 17 starts. After the deal with the Pirates, Archer had a 4.30 ERA in 10 starts. In only 10 starts, he gave up eight home runs. He struggled mightily in a Pirates uniform. This trade was the beginning of the end for the Pirates’ window. They flatlined to end the season, finishing the year 82-79, missing the playoffs by a wide margin. Archer struggled even more in 2019, posting an ERA just under 5.20, and surrendered 25 home runs. That number is by far the most of his career. It would be Archer’s last year in a Pirates uniform.
Never worth it in the first place
Even if Chris Archer ended up being an All-Star with the Pirates, the return would not have been worth it, which is what makes this the worst deadline deal ever. Glasnow was a highly-touted prospect who had shown flashes of brilliance. Meadows was a young outfielder who had just made his MLB debut. Baz was a first-round draft pick who was considered to be one of the top pitching prospects in baseball.
While Glasnow has been struggling with injuries in recent seasons, he has been arguably one of the best pitchers in the American League when he takes the mound. He holds a career 3.91 ERA and two seasons with an ERA+ over 150 (min. 10 starts).
Whenever Glasnow is able to put together 15 or more starts in a season, he will be one of the more valuable starters in the league. Baz was forced to miss the 2023 season with Tommy John surgery but has been solid for his first couple of seasons in the big leagues. Meadows has since moved on from the Rays, but spent four solid seasons with Tampa Bay, helping vault them into the World Series in 2020. He even had an explosive 2019 season, where he posted a .922 OPS.
Meadows was traded to the Detroit Tigers for Isaac Parades, a key member of the 2023 Rays. This is important to remember because Paredes has been very effective for the Rays this season, posting a .843 OPS in 92 games.
Neal Huntington, the general manager of Pittsburgh at the time, made some other awful moves that offseason. He moved Gerrit Cole to the Astros and let fan favorite Andrew McCutchen go.
The Chris Archer trade is a prime example of how a trade can go horribly wrong for one team and be a huge success for the other. The Pirates are still paying for the mistakes they made in 2018, vaulting them into a rebuild. Meanwhile, the Rays are still reaping the benefits of this trade, and the pieces acquired helped them win an AL pennant in 2022. Is this the worst deadline deal of all time?
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