Worst Minnesota Sports trades

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I got to thinking. what are some of your worst Minnesota Sports trade. Mine are Herschel Walker trade. Another one is the Twins trading Tom Brunansky for Tom Herr. What were the Twins thinking on that one. Then the Johan Santana trade. That was a bad one.
 



Recovering alcoholics should avoid this thread.
 

Not trades, but three horrible player transactions:

1) Twins releasing David Ortiz
2) Timberwolves signing Joe Smith to an illegal contract
3) Vikings drafting Demetrius Underwood in the first round
 



LakevilleBro said:
The Rudy Gobert for 10 picks/players, has the potential to be 2nd worst, behind the Herschel Walker trade.
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The players the Wolves threw in are pretty much meaningless. It will depend on how the players they draft turn out.

Right now it's basically Gobert for Walker Kessler and Keyonte George. If the Wolves make a run with Gobert, it will have been worth it.
 

GopherVotary said:
Not trades, but three horrible player transactions:

1) Twins releasing David Ortiz
2) Timberwolves signing Joe Smith to an illegal contract
3) Vikings drafting Demetrius Underwood in the first round
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If Draftees are considered then the North Stars taking Brian Lawton with the #1 pick in the 1983 NHL Draft is worse than any of those IMO. They passed on 4 Hall of Famers in the Top 10:

Pat LaFontaine
Steve Yzerman
Tom Barrasso
Cam Neely
 

GopherVotary said:
Not trades, but three horrible player transactions:

1) Twins releasing David Ortiz
2) Timberwolves signing Joe Smith to an illegal contract
3) Vikings drafting Demetrius Underwood in the first round
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That is considered by many as one of the worst picks of all-time. Not because Underwood never did anything but because there were tons of signs prior to the draft that his bipolar disorder would not allow him to ever play or at least play consistently in the NFL. I believe even his college coaches warned of this.
 



The Delmon Young-Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett trade has to be up there. Young had one good year in 2010 but was otherwise just average. Garza wasn't great but would have been one of the top starters had he stayed. And Bartlett went to an All-Star game.

I get why they made the trade but it was contingent on Young developing power that never really came.
 

GopherWeatherGuy said:
The players the Wolves threw in are pretty much meaningless. It will depend on how the players they draft turn out.

Right now it's basically Gobert for Walker Kessler and Keyonte George. If the Wolves make a run with Gobert, it will have been worth it.
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Yeah it's fun to shit on the wolves for that deal but people are greatly exaggerating what we gave up.
 


Randy Moss for the #7 overall might not have looked so bad had we taken a decent player there, i.e. not Troy Williamson. Napoleon Harris was an ok LB I guess.
 



GopherVotary said:
Not trades, but three horrible player transactions:

1) Twins releasing David Ortiz
2) Timberwolves signing Joe Smith to an illegal contract
3) Vikings drafting Demetrius Underwood in the first round
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Ortiz barely made the Red Soxs team. He struggled, and struggled all the while he begged management to not cut him. One has to wonder how long due to you stick with a player before cutting a guy loose. Look at what happened with Hicks when he left the Yankees. He is now flourishing. Sometimes lightbulb goes off or a change of scenery is the answer.
 

It's already been mentioned but the Herschel Walker trade was the worst. 5 players and five 1st & 2nd round picks and a couple of lower picks for Walker and two 3rds a 5th and a 10th. Mike Lynn went to his grave screaming that the Cowboys had to take players OR picks not both. The Commissioner favored the Cowboys.

Go figure.

If Lynn was right, then sending Kevin Garnett to the Celtics. Had to look it up to get all the details right. It was almost the Gobert trade in reverse. Garnett for 5 decent to bad players, Ryan Gomes. Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff and Telfair. Plus 2 conditional draft picks. Which ended-up being Rubio and Flynn.
 

Gophers1992 said:
Randy Moss for the #7 overall might not have looked so bad had we taken a decent player there, i.e. not Troy Williamson. Napoleon Harris was an ok LB I guess.
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Unfortunately they probably would have taken Mike Williams if it weren't Williamson. It was a rough draft for WR.

Then they picked Erasmus James at #18. They could have had Antrel Rolle at #7 and then picked a WR at #18.
 

Not a traditional trade but losing the Lakers and then after getting the Timberwolves. Granted there was almost a 30 year period between the 2 events but nevertheless MN lost.
 

GophersInIowa said:
Unfortunately they probably would have taken Mike Williams if it weren't Williamson. It was a rough draft for WR.

Then they picked Erasmus James at #18. They could have had Antrel Rolle at #7 and then picked a WR at #18.
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Yeah, with the benefit of hindsight they could have had Rolle, Demarcus Ware, or Shawne Merriman at 7, and Roddy White at 18.

I will say, outside of Roddy, that is a rough looking group of first round WR.
 

Iceland12 said:
It's already been mentioned but the Herschel Walker trade was the worst. 5 players and five 1st & 2nd round picks and a couple of lower picks for Walker and two 3rds a 5th and a 10th. Mike Lynn went to his grave screaming that the Cowboys had to take players OR picks not both. The Commissioner favored the Cowboys.

Go figure.

If Lynn was right, then sending Kevin Garnett to the Celtics. Had to look it up to get all the details right. It was almost the Gobert trade in reverse. Garnett for 5 decent to bad players, Ryan Gomes. Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff and Telfair. Plus 2 conditional draft picks. Which ended-up being Rubio and Flynn.
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Mike Lynn got schooled. The Vikings went three years without a 1st or 2nd round pick.

The story is it was initially Michael Irvin who they wanted to trade instead of Walker.
 

Iceland12 said:
It's already been mentioned but the Herschel Walker trade was the worst. 5 players and five 1st & 2nd round picks and a couple of lower picks for Walker and two 3rds a 5th and a 10th. Mike Lynn went to his grave screaming that the Cowboys had to take players OR picks not both. The Commissioner favored the Cowboys.

Go figure.

If Lynn was right, then sending Kevin Garnett to the Celtics. Had to look it up to get all the details right. It was almost the Gobert trade in reverse. Garnett for 5 decent to bad players, Ryan Gomes. Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff and Telfair. Plus 2 conditional draft picks. Which ended-up being Rubio and Flynn.
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As bad as the Vikings deal was, long term it was not really prohibitive in the Vikings success. Missed the playoffs in 1990 & 1991, but then were never under .500 the rest of the '90s and had their best regular season ever in 1998.

The Timberwolves on the other hand still have not won a playoff series since KG was dealt to the Celts.

Both the Cowboys & Celtics won titles largely with help from those 2 moves. Possible Dallas was on their way regardless to getting at least 1.
 

Iceland12 said:
It's already been mentioned but the Herschel Walker trade was the worst. 5 players and five 1st & 2nd round picks and a couple of lower picks for Walker and two 3rds a 5th and a 10th. Mike Lynn went to his grave screaming that the Cowboys had to take players OR picks not both. The Commissioner favored the Cowboys.

Go figure.

If Lynn was right, then sending Kevin Garnett to the Celtics. Had to look it up to get all the details right. It was almost the Gobert trade in reverse. Garnett for 5 decent to bad players, Ryan Gomes. Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff and Telfair. Plus 2 conditional draft picks. Which ended-up being Rubio and Flynn.
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I agree. Gobert trade not as bad as some think. Bigger issue is this:
Garnett = all nba
Gobert = all nba defensive

Garnett = fits with Pierce and Allen
Gobert = doesn’t fit with KAT (maybe I’ll be wrong)
 

Some guy said:
I agree. Gobert trade not as bad as some think. Bigger issue is this:
Garnett = all nba
Gobert = all nba defensive

Garnett = fits with Pierce and Allen
Gobert = doesn’t fit with KAT (maybe I’ll be wrong)
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Isn't the biggest fault with the Gobert deal that Kessler does many of the same things as Gobert for like 10% of the salary?

The salary cap luxury tax rules will make that quite punitive in the future.
 

Ope3 said:
Isn't the biggest fault with the Gobert deal that Kessler does many of the same things as Gobert for like 10% of the salary?

The salary cap luxury tax rules will make that quite punitive in the future.
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I haven’t watched Kessler enough to know
But I will also say the wolves drafter Kessler with the intention to trade. Without the intention to trade they may have drafted someone else.
 

Ope3 said:
As bad as the Vikings deal was, long term it was not really prohibitive in the Vikings success. Missed the playoffs in 1990 & 1991, but then were never under .500 the rest of the '90s and had their best regular season ever in 1998.

The Timberwolves on the other hand still have not won a playoff series since KG was dealt to the Celts.

Both the Cowboys & Celtics won titles largely with help from those 2 moves. Possible Dallas was on their way regardless to getting at least 1.
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Dallas was 1-11 the year they made the trade. 7-9 the next year. Through the trade and the picks the Cowboys added Emmitt Smith, Darren Woodson, CB Kevin Smith and Defensive Tackle Russell Maryland.

Maybe they could have ended-up doing as well if they kept Walker and didn't get any of those guys. They certainly were better with them.
 

Iceland12 said:
Dallas was 1-11 the year they made the trade. 7-9 the next year. Through the trade and the picks the Cowboys added Emmitt Smith, Darren Woodson, CB Kevin Smith and Defensive Tackle Russell Maryland.

Maybe they could have ended-up doing as well if they kept Walker and didn't get any of those guys. They certainly were better with them.
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My line of thought is they still would have traded Walker, but for less of a haul they got from the Vikings.

Interesting, all 4 players you listed, I don't think any were actually taken with picks from where the Vikings would have drafted. If I am wrong on that, please correct me. They certainly did use the Vikings picks as ammo to move up though. No disputing that.

While the path to a Super Bowl still would have been possible for the Cowboys, I strongly acknowledge it would have been far less likely. It is next to impossible to believe they would have still won the 3 they did.
 

Bruno for Herr was not only a bad deal on the field, but Tommy Herr came in and screwed up the Twins' clubhouse.

and then there is this: what do these four people have in common?

Dave Engle, Paul Hartzell, Brad Havens and Ken Landreaux

they were the 4 players the Twins received from the Angels for Rod Carew. Ken Landreaux was a decent player, but the Twins only had him for 2 years and then traded him to the Dodgers for Mickey Hatcher.......

(and now I'm depressed........)
 

Ope3 said:
My line of thought is they still would have traded Walker, but for less of a haul they got from the Vikings.

Interesting, all 4 players you listed, I don't think any were actually taken with picks from where the Vikings would have drafted. If I am wrong on that, please correct me. They certainly did use the Vikings picks as ammo to move up though. No disputing that.

While the path to a Super Bowl still would have been possible for the Cowboys, I strongly acknowledge it would have been far less likely. It is next to impossible to believe they would have still won the 3 they did.
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There was a deal in place to trade Walker to Cleveland, the Browns were just waiting for Art Modell to sign off on it. Then the Vikings came in with a bigger offer.

What many don't realize is that the players the Vikings traded had a conditional draft pick associated with them if they were cut before that next winter. The Vikings didn't think the Cowboys would cut them because the players they sent were better than what the Cowboys had. But they planned on doing that after the season so the Cowboys worked out a deal to lessen those conditional picks and still allow them to keep the players. So it could have been even worse for the Vikings if that didn't happen.

Either way, it was robbery and Mike Lynn deserves all the criticism he gets.

The Cowboys received LB Jesse Solomon , LB David Howard, CB Issiac Holt, DE and Alex Stewart yet each player had a conditional draft pick associated with him that the Cowboys would receive if they were cut before Feb 1, 1990.
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The Vikings assumed that the Cowboys wanted the players and not the draft picks because those players were better than the players in the same position of the Cowboys.

Even Dave Wannstedt said “I told him, ‘Jimmy, these guys are better than we what we’ve got.’” Johnson’s response was telling: “I know, but I’ve got something else in mind.” Johnson told his assistant not to play any of the players the Cowboys got in the trade. Johnson considered DE Alex Stewart lazy and cut him and claimed the 2nd round pick that was tied to him.

For the other three players “I actually wanted to keep them,” Johnson says, “but Mike wasn’t answering my calls. Finally, I had to notify the league of my intentions to cut them all before he called me back.” Lynn and Johnson worked out another deal that lessened the Draft cost for the Vikings and allowed the Cowboys to keep Solomon, Howard and Holt.
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www.ganggreennation.com

The Herschel Walker trade

One trade changed many things
www.ganggreennation.com www.ganggreennation.com
 

short ornery norwegian said:
Bruno for Herr was not only a bad deal on the field, but Tommy Herr came in and screwed up the Twins' clubhouse.

and then there is this: what do these four people have in common?

Dave Engle, Paul Hartzell, Brad Havens and Ken Landreaux

they were the 4 players the Twins received from the Angels for Rod Carew. Ken Landreaux was a decent player, but the Twins only had him for 2 years and then traded him to the Dodgers for Mickey Hatcher.......

(and now I'm depressed........)
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From Day 1, it was pretty obvious that Herr was upset he was dealt from the Cardinals.

Long term Engle was pretty average, but he was an All Star in 1984. I remember the 31 game hitting streak that Landreaux had in 1980 be a cause celeb and taking some of the short term sting of losing Carew (and Bostock as a Free Agent).
 

kg21 said:
All the traded players are on their third team in about a years time.

The draft picks will be in the 20's.

Meh!
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The only really difficult part of the trade was Gobert's contract and what Kessler turned into.

A draft pick in the 20's doesn't mean anything and the players were garbage.
 

Sam Bradford for a 1st
Matt Garza, Bartlett for Delmon Young
Wilson Ramos for Matt Capps

These ones bother me the most because the logic wasn't there. A power hitting top catcher prospect for a few months of a reliever? A blue chip pitching prospect and a short stop for a corner outfielder?
 

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