15 Most Lopsided MLB Offseason Trades of the Last 10 Years
There will inevitably be a winner and a loser to every MLB trade, but sometimes the scales tip more drastically and the end result is a lopsided deal.
That can be an established veteran star being traded for a package of prospects that doesn't pan out, a low-level minor league who goes on to become an impact performer sent packing before he reaches his full potential and everything in between.
Ahead we've highlighted the 15 most lopsided offseason trades of the last 10 years, going back to the 2015-16 MLB offseason, with the deals listed in chronological order and a breakdown of both sides of each trade provided for context.
Keep in mind, the focus here is exclusively offseason trades, so no summer trade deadline deals in this conversation.
Honorable Mentions
1 of 16
Honorable Mentions
Jan. 28, 2016: Rays trade RHP Germán Márquez, LHP Jake McGee to Rockies for OF Corey Dickerson, 3B Kevin Padlo
Dec. 7, 2016: Nationals trade RHP Lucas Giolito, RHP Reynaldo López, RHP Dane Dunning to White Sox for OF Adam Eaton
Dec. 5, 2018: Diamondbacks trade 1B Paul Goldschmidt to Cardinals for RHP Luke Weaver, C Carson Kelly, IF Andrew Young, competitive balance pick
Feb. 7, 2019: Marlins trade C J.T. Realmuto to Phillies for RHP Sixto Sánchez, C Jorge Alfaro, international bonus money
March 23, 2019: Orioles trade OF Mike Yastrzemski to Giants for RHP Tyler Herb
Dec. 4, 2019: Angels trade RHP Kyle Bradish, RHP Isaac Mattson, RHP Kyle Brnovich, RHP Zach Peek to Orioles for RHP Dylan Bundy
Dec. 6, 2019: Rays trade 2B Jake Cronenworth, OF Tommy Pham to Padres for OF Hunter Renfroe, SS Xavier Edwards
Jan. 9, 2020: Cardinals trade OF Randy Arozarena, OF José Martínez, 2020 supplemental 1st round pick to Rays for LHP Matthew Liberatore, C Edgardo Rodriguez, 2020 supplemental 2nd round pick
March 14, 2022: Reds trade 3B Eugenio Suárez, OF Jesse Winker to Mariners for LHP Brandon Williamson, OF Jake Fraley, RHP Connor Phillips, RHP Justin Dunn
April 5, 2022: Tigers trade 3B Isaac Paredes to the Rays for OF Austin Meadows
Nov. 22, 2023: Mariners trade 3B Eugenio Suárez to D-backs for RHP Carlos Vargas, C Seby Zavala
Jan. 5, 2024: Mariners trade LHP Robbie Ray to Giants for OF Mitch Haniger, RHP Anthony DeSclafani, cash
March 13, 2024: White Sox trade RHP Dylan Cease to Padres for RHP Drew Thorpe, RHP Jairo Iriarte, RHP Steven Wilson, OF Samuel Zavala
Dansby Swanson to the Braves
2 of 16
Date: Dec. 9, 2015
To ARI: RHP Shelby Miller, LHP Gabe Speier
To ATL: SS Dansby Swanson, OF Ender Inciarte, RHP Aaron Blair
Six months after he was taken No. 1 overall in the 2015 draft, shortstop Dansby Swanson was traded at the 2015 winter meetings in a five-player deal that brought back Shelby Miller.
Coming off a 4.2-WAR season and an All-Star selection, and with three years of club control remaining, Miller was expected to be a staple atop the D-backs rotation. Instead, he battled injuries and struggled to a 6.35 ERA in 139 innings during his three seasons with the team.
Meanwhile, Swanson made his MLB debut in 2016 and took over as Atlanta's everyday shortstop the following year. In seven seasons with the team, he tallied 14.9 WAR and played his way to a seven-year, $177 million deal from the Cubs when he reached free agency.
Freddy Peralta to the Brewers
3 of 16
Date: Dec. 9, 2015
To SEA: 1B Adam Lind
To MIL: RHP Freddy Peralta, RHP Carlos Herrera, RHP Daniel Missaki
Freddy Peralta was still a teenager who had not yet pitched above rookie ball when the Mariners traded him to the Brewers as part of a three-prospect package to acquire veteran first baseman Adam Lind.
Lind hit .239/.286/.431 for a 94 OPS+ with 20 home runs and 58 RBI in 126 games before departing in free agency the following winter.
Fast forward to 2018, Peralta made his MLB debut at the age of 21, and by 2021 he was a full-time member of the starting rotation and a first-time All-Star. In the years since, he has developed into one of the game's top starters, going 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 204 strikeouts in 176.2 innings in 2025.
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Luis Castillo to the Reds
4 of 16
Date: Jan. 19, 2017
To MIA: RHP Dan Straily
To CIN: RHP Luis Castillo, RHP Austin Brice, OF Zeek White
Originally signed by the Giants, right-hander Luis Castillo was first traded to the Marlins for Casey McGehee in 2014, then shipped to the Reds prior to the 2017 season for starter Dan Straily.
Straily was coming off a career year with the Reds, going 14-8 with a 3.76 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 162 strikeouts in 191.1 innings for a 4.2-WAR season in 2016, but he took a step backward with a 4.20 ERA in 304 innings over 56 starts during his two years in Miami.
Castillo debuted in 2017 with a 3.12 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 89.1 innings, and quickly developed into the ace of the staff in Cincinnati. He tallied 17.8 WAR and a pair of All-Star selections before he was traded to the Mariners at the 2022 deadline.
Sandy Alcantara, Zac Gallen to the Marlins
5 of 16
Date: Dec. 14, 2017
To STL: OF Marcell Ozuna
To MIA: RHP Sandy Alcantara, RHP Zac Gallen, OF Magneuris Sierra, LHP Daniel Castano
To his credit, Marcell Ozuna provided the Cardinals with solid middle-of-the-order production in 2018 (106 OPS+, 23 HR, 88 RBI) and 2019 (109 OPS+, 29 HR, 89 RBI) before departing in free agency and signing with the Braves.
Was that worth parting with two future frontline starters?
Sandy Alcantara is still fronting the Marlins rotation and has the 2022 NL Cy Young trophy on his mantle. Zac Gallen was flipped to the D-backs for Jazz Chisholm, and he helped lead the team to the 2023 World Series while finishing top-10 in Cy Young balloting three times in a four-year span.
Bryan Reynolds to the Pirates
6 of 16
Date: Jan. 15, 2018
To SF: OF Andrew McCutchen
To PIT: OF Bryan Reynolds, RHP Kyle Crick, international bonus money
After winning World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014, the Giants contention window seemingly slammed shut during a 98-loss season in 2017, but the front office tried to reopen it by trading for Evan Longoria and Andrew McCutchen during the 2017-18 offseason.
The Giants ended up finishing 73-89 and McCutchen was traded again before the season was over, going to the Yankees at the deadline after he logged a 115 OPS+ with 15 home runs and 1.7 WAR in 130 games in San Francisco.
A year later, Bryan Reynolds emerged as the outfielder the Giants hoped they were getting in McCutchen, hitting .314/.377/.503 with 57 extra-base hits and 4.2 WAR in 134 games. In seven seasons in Pittsburgh, he has 21.1 WAR and two All-Star selections while serving as the de facto face of the franchise before Paul Skenes showed up.
Christian Yelich to the Brewers
7 of 16
Date: Jan. 25, 2018
To MIA: OF Lewis Brinson, OF Monte Harrison, 2B Isan Díaz, RHP Jordan Yamamoto
To MIL: OF Christian Yelich
At the time, this looked like a reasonable return package for Christian Yelich, with Lewis Brinson (No. 18) and Monte Harrison (No. 75) both ranked among baseball's Top 100 prospects, while Isan Diaz was also in the conversation.
Yelich then immediately became one of the best players in baseball, winning 2018 NL MVP and finishing runner-up in the balloting in 2019 while winning the NL batting title both years and averaging 40 home runs, 104 RBI, 26 steals and 7.2 WAR.
He has not reached those heights since that impressive two-year peak, but has still racked up 27.5 WAR over eight seasons in Milwaukee as a franchise cornerstone for a perennial contender.
Cristopher Sánchez to the Phillies
8 of 16
Date: Nov. 20, 2019
To TB: IF Curtis Mead
To PHI: LHP Cristopher Sánchez
This initially looked like a robbery by the Rays when Curtis Mead hit .321/.378./.533 with 38 doubles, 15 home runs and 69 RBI in 104 games while reaching Triple-A in his age-20 season in 2021.
He eventually established himself as a consensus top-50 prospect in baseball, but was never able to carve out a role in the big leagues in Tampa Bay, hitting .238 with a 79 OPS+ and 0.4 WAR in 111 games before he was traded to the White Sox at the 2025 deadline.
It also took Cristopher Sánchez some time to find his footing in the majors as he posted a 5.47 ERA in 52.2 innings in 2021 and 2022, but over the past three seasons he has developed into a bona fide ace. That includes a runner-up finish in 2025 NL Cy Young voting after he pitched to a 2.50 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 212 strikeouts in 202 innings.
Adolis García to the Rangers
9 of 16
Date: Dec. 21, 2019
To STL: cash considerations
To TEX: OF Adolis García
After going 2-for-17 with seven strikeouts in a 21-game audition in 2018 and then not seeing the majors at all in 2019, Adolis García was traded from St. Louis to Texas in exchange for cash considerations during the 2019-20 offseason.
He was largely a non-factor again in 2020, going 0-for-6 with four strikeouts in three games, but exploded onto the scene as a 28-year-old rookie the following year with a 31-homer, 90-RBI, 3.9-WAR season.
Over his five full seasons with the Rangers prior to being non-tendered this winter, he posted a 106 OPS+ with 141 home runs, 458 RBI and 15.2 WAR, earning a pair of All-Star selections and winning 2023 ALCS MVP while helping the Rangers win a World Series title.
Mookie Betts to the Dodgers
10 of 16
Date: Feb. 9, 2020
To BOS: OF Alex Verdugo, SS Jeter Downs, C Connor Wong
To LAD: OF Mookie Betts, LHP David Price
It's highly unlikely the Red Sox were ever going to get equivalent value back in a Mookie Betts trade, and part of the takeaway from this package was offloading a significant chunk of the $96 million still owed to David Price.
However, this trade ended up being an absolute bust for Boston.
Alex Verdugo never took the step forward many were expecting after a solid start to his career in Los Angeles. He had a modest 105 OPS+ and 8.1 WAR over four seasons before he was traded to the rival Yankees.
Shortstop Jeter Downs was a consensus Top 100 prospect heading into the 2020 season, but he hit .190 with 131 strikeouts in 99 games at Triple-A in his first season in the Red Sox organization, and played a grand total of 14 games in the big leagues in Boston.
The only return piece still standing is catcher Connor Wong, who had a solid 2024 season as the starter before sliding behind Carlos Narváez on the depth chart.
Betts signed a 12-year, $365 million extension midway through his first season with the Dodgers, and he has 32.7 WAR and three World Series rings to show for his first six seasons in Los Angeles.
Blake Snell to the Padres
11 of 16
Date: Dec. 29, 2020
To TB: C Francisco Mejía, RHP Luis Patiño, RHP Cole Wilcox, C Blake Hunt
To SD: LHP Blake Snell
As a former Cy Young winner with three years remaining on the five-year, $50 million extension he signed in early 2019, Blake Snell was an extremely valuable trade chip for the Rays.
Catcher Francisco Mejia was a former consensus top-50 prospect in baseball who had franchise catcher upside, while Luis Patiño was the No. 23 prospect in the sport heading into the 2021 season.
Snell went on to win a second Cy Young Award during his three years in San Diego, while Mejia (2.3 WAR in 736 PA) and Patiño (-0.6 WAR in 101.1 IP) fell short of expectations and the other two prospects were non-factors.
Francisco Lindor to the Mets
12 of 16
Date: Jan. 7, 2021
To CLE: IF Andrés Giménez, IF Amed Rosario, OF Isaiah Greene, RHP Josh Wolf
To NYM: SS Francisco Lindor, RHP Carlos Carrasco
There have certainly been worse blockbuster trade returns than Andrés Giménez and Amed Rosario, who both found some level of success in Cleveland.
Giménez won three Gold Gloves in four seasons with the Guardians before he was traded to the Blue Jays last winter, while Rosario had a 4.2-WAR campaign in 2022 as his double play partner.
With both now playing elsewhere, the Guardians ended up getting a combined 23.1 WAR out of the two middle infielders, while Lindor has provided four straight 5-WAR seasons for the Mets and 27.3 WAR overall while continuing on a Hall of Fame trajectory. He is the type of player who should have spent his entire career in Cleveland, were it not for a tight-fisted front office.
Nolan Arenado to the Cardinals
13 of 16
Date: Feb. 1, 2021
To COL: RHP Austin Gomber, 3B Elehuris Montero, RHP Jake Sommers, RHP Tony Locey, IF Mateo Gil
To STL: 3B Nolan Arenado, cash
On Feb. 26, 2019, Nolan Arenado signed an eight-year, $260 million extension with the Rockies that looked like it would keep the homegrown star in Colorado for the duration of his career.
After the inept Rockies front office inexplicably made the decision to entertain trade offers for him, leaving their star player feeling disrespected, he eventually wanted out and was traded to the Cardinals along with a staggering $51 million less than two years after signing that extension.
Following the trade, Austin Gomber had a 5.31 ERA in 601.2 innings, Elehuris Montero had a 74 OPS+ and negative-1.7 WAR in 205 games and the other three players never reached the majors.
Meanwhile, Arenado has added three All-Star selections, two Gold Gloves and 18.1 WAR to what will likely be a Hall of Fame resume.
Junior Caminero to the Rays
14 of 16
Date: Nov. 19, 2021
To CLE: RHP Tobias Myers
To TB: 3B Junior Caminero
Junior Caminero was just 18 years old with only 43 professional games under his belt when the Rays acquired him in exchange for right-hander Tobias Myers as part of a 40-man roster crunch prior to the 2022 season.
He made his stateside debut in 2022 following a solid debut in the Dominican Summer League, and flew up top prospect lists by hitting .314/.384/.498 with 11 home runs and 51 RBI in 63 games while earning a taste of Single-A.
A .976 OPS and 31 home runs the following year established him as one of baseball's top prospects, and he is now a budding star in the majors following a 45-homer, 4.4-WAR campaign in 2025.
For the record, Myers never pitched in the big leagues for Cleveland, and he was traded to the Giants for cash considerations in 2022.
Athletics Trade Away Matt Chapman, Matt Olson
15 of 16
Date: March 14, 2022
To ATH: C Shea Langeliers, OF Cristian Pache, RHP Joey Estes, RHP Ryan Cusick
To ATL: 1B Matt Olson
Date: March 16, 2022
To ATH: RHP Gunnar Hoglund, IF Kevin Smith, LHP Kirby Snead, LHP Zach Logue
To TOR: 3B Matt Chapman
Matt Olson (No. 47 in 2012) and Matt Chapman (No. 25 in 2014) were both first-round picks turned big league stars for the Athletics, and during the 2021 season they combined for 9.3 WAR on an Oakland team that went 86-76.
Unfortunately, the budget restraints of the organization made them both trade candidates heading into the 2021-22 offseason, and they ended up getting dealt just a few days apart less than a month before Opening Day.
Catcher Shea Langeliers has developed into a productive slugger and the everyday catcher for the Athletics as part of the return in the Olson deal, but the other seven players they acquired have been non-factors.
Trading these two stars should have reshaped the organization, but instead they have very little to show for it.
Chris Sale to the Braves
16 of 16
Date: Dec. 30, 2023
To BOS: IF Vaughn Grissom
To ATL: LHP Chris Sale, cash
After pitching a combined 48.1 innings during the 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons, Chris Sale finally stayed healthy enough to make 20 starts in 2023, posting a 4.30 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 125 strikeouts in 102.2 innings.
That was enough for him to rebuild some trade value, and the Red Sox flipped him to the Braves in exchange for former top prospect Vaughn Grissom, while also paying down $17 million of the $27.5 million owed to Sale in 2024.
Sale then promptly won NL Cy Young honors with arguably the best season of his career, leading the NL in wins (18), ERA (2.38), strikeouts (225) and pitching WAR (6.2), while Grissom provided negative-0.2 WAR in 31 games for the Red Sox before he was on the move again earlier this month in a trade with the Angels.
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