With the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline quickly approaching, teams around the game are weighing their options.
Do they go all in, trading away young talent and prospects for an established star? Or do they stay the course, holding on to their youngsters with an eye toward sustained success in the future?
Let this list serve as a warning: Dealing in prospects is a risky business.
Nearly every trade that follows looked good on paper but, for one reason or another—usually because those prospects didn’t develop as expected—they look completely lopsided today.
Lists like this pop up on a yearly basis around this time, but nearly every single one of them is inaccurate, including trades that were made weeks before—or after—the non-waiver trade deadline. You won’t find that here.
We’ve looked at every deal that’s gone down from July 24 to July 31 since the current trade deadline was instituted in 1986, and these are the most lopsided of the bunch.
Let’s see who struck gold—and who struck out.
*Unless otherwise noted, all trade information and statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.