Worst Trades - Doyle Alexander for John Smoltz

One of the better trades ever made by the Atlanta Braves was unquestionably one of the worst of all-time for the Detroit Tigers.

The Braves were having their typical poor season. They weren't close to sniffing the playoffs and no one was coming to the ball park. But the Braves had an outstanding pitcher in Doyle Alexander, a curmudgeonly right-hander who knew how to throw strikes and was always able to keep his team in a game. Alexander was on the better trades list for Atlanta, since he could be moved in return for a prospect.

The Tigers were in the middle of a pennant race. They were trying to win a pennant with a veteran team and needed another arm to hold up down the stretch. Alexander was 36 and a very proven commodity. In early August the Tigers made the move for Alexander, trading Michigan-born minor leaguer John Smoltz in a straight-up deal.

Sounds dumb, right? Twenty years later it looks like a very dumb deal indeed. Smoltz went on to have a Hall of Fame type career with the Atlanta Braves and was a money pitcher, both in the starting rotation and in the bullpen. Smoltz was the warrior face of the Atlanta franchise that won 14 consecutive division championships. Smoltz became synonymous with the Braves and their success.

But as far as a short-term deal, this was one of Detroit's better trades. Alexander started 11 games for the Tigers after the move and was undefeated. Alexander was 9-0 with a 1.53 ERA and wound up fourth in the Cy Young balloting even though he played in the American League for only two months. With Alexander's help, the Tigers were able to catch the Blue Jays and win the AL East by one game on the final day of the season. Alexander's better trades success didn't carry over to the postseason; he was 0-2 in both starts with a 10.00 ERA against the upstart Twins.

Alexander played only two more seasons. He finished 14-11 in 1988 and 6-18 in 1989, working his typical 200-plus innings each year.

Entering the 2009 season, Smoltz had a record of 210-147 with a 3.26 ERA. Smoltz had 154 saves and 3,011 strikeouts in 3,395 innings pitched. He won the Cy Young Award in 1996 and his career record of 15-4 in the postseason is one of the best ever recorded.

The better trade? Short-term it was in favor of Detroit, which didn’t' make it back to the playoffs again until 2006. Long-term it goes in favor of Atlanta and Smoltz, which means Detroit had to live with the move for more than 20 years.