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The 3 Worst Trades Made in Houston Astros History
Trades in the MLB can either be hit or miss, especially when prospects are the main parts of the package. Let’s take a look back on the three worst trades made by the Houston Astros front office.
Houston Astros trade Kenny Lofton to the Cleveland Indians
Full trade package:
Houston Astros receive C Eddie Taubensee & P Willie Blair
Cleveland Indians receive Kenny Lofton
Looking back at this trade, the Astros have to be hurt after seeing how great of a career Kenny Lofton ended up having. Lofton was selected in the 17th round of the 1988 MLB Draft by the Houston Astros. He was looked at as a speedy player that got on base but had no power whatsoever.
Lofton made his MLB debut with the Astros in 1991 but only ended up playing a total of 20 games for the organization before being traded. In those 20 games played, he hit .203/.253/.216 (AVG/OBP/SLG) along with a -0.1 WAR.
However, in his first five seasons with the Indians, Lofton exploded for a .316/.382/.437 slash line along with 868 hits, 39 home runs, 325 stolen bases, and 261 RBIs. He also won four Gold Glove awards in the outfield while with the Indians. Lofton then went to play for the Atlanta Braves in 1997 but came back to the Indians in 1998.
As for Eddie Taubensee, he didn’t do much during his time with the Houston Astros. In his 203 games with the Astros, Taubensee slashed .234/.296/.351 along with 14 HR and 70 RBI.
The other player sent to Houston was pitcher Willie Blair who only played for one season with them. In his 78.1 innings pitched, he had a 4.00 ERA and a 1.258 WHIP.
Houston Astros trade Joe Morgan to the Cincinnati Reds
Full trade package:
Houston Astros receive Lee May, Tommy Helms, and Jimmy Stewart
Cincinnati Reds receive Joe Morgan, Ed Armbrister, Jack Billingham, Cesar Geronimo, and Denis Menke
When this trade was made, it had looked great for Houston because they were getting a power hitter in Lee May who hit 39 home runs and 98 RBI’s the year before. Well, that clearly wasn’t the case with the way Joe Morgan was getting on base in 1972. Morgan had a .417 OBP (On-base Percentage) which led all of baseball.
Joe Morgan became one of the best players in baseball once he was traded from Houston to Cincinnati. In his first five seasons, he had over 100 RBIs, an OBP over .400, and over 15 home runs each year. Morgan also had 50-plus stolen bases in his first four seasons, just missing the 50 mark by 1 after having 49 stolen bases in 1977.
In his 8 years with the Reds, he hit .288/.415/.470 along with 152 HR, 1,155 hits, 612 RBI, and 406 stolen bases. He also was the NL MVP in 1975 and 1976, 5 Gold Glove Awards, and 2 World Series Championships in 1975 and 1976.
The Astros’ return for this trade doesn’t come close to what Joe Morgan did on the baseball field for the Reds, making this not only one of the worst trades in Astros history but in MLB history as well.
Houston Astros trade Josh Hader to the Milwaukee Brewers
Full trade package:
Houston Astros receive Carlos Gomez & Mike Fiers
Milwaukee Brewers receive Josh Hader, Adrian Houser, Brett Phillips, and Domingo Santana
Back in 2015, the New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers agreed on a trade that would send Carlos Gomez to Queens. That deal fell apart due to a problem with medicals which meant Gomez was still available for grabs. The Astros swooped in and made a move for the outfielder, hoping he could help the team for the rest of the season and possibly going forward.
That didn’t happen. In just 41 games in 2015 with the Astros, Gomez hit for .242/.288/.383 (AVG/OBP/SLG) along with 4 HR and 13 RBI.
As for Mike Fiers, he played three years in Houston before going to the Oakland Athletics in 2018. In those three years, Fiers had a 4.59 ERA and 1.337 WHIP in 384.1 innings pitched.
Now let’s talk about the reason why the Astros lost this trade, Josh Hader. Houston ended up trading away a pitcher who has become one of the best closers in all of baseball.
In his six years with the Brewers, Hader recorded a 2.48 ERA and 0.882 WHIP along with 125 saves. He was always a huge part of the Brewers’ success while he was with the team. Just imagine Josh Hader coming out of the bullpen to close out games in orange and blue, especially knowing he will more than likely come out with the win (at least, before he was recently traded to San Diego).
Next. For the Astros, No Shame in Losing Saturday Night. dark