Chicago Cubs: Ranking the team’s 3 worst trades of the last 50 years

Cubs: 3 worst trades of the last 50 years: #2- Jamie Moyer, Rafael Palmeiro traded to Texas in a massive nine-player deal

This one’s a doozy. The Cubs acquired a whopping six players in this trade: closer Mitch Williams, hurler Paul Kilgus and Steve Wilson, outfielder Pablo Delgado and infielders Curt Wilson and Luis Benitez, while sending the likes of Rafael Palmeiro, Jamie Moyer and a pitcher by the name of Drew Hall to the Rangers.

Now, obviously, looking back, people hate this trade because of the loss of Palmeiro. And rightfully so. His legacy is far more complicated now given his ties to PEDs, but he was an absolute monster in the 15 years following the trade, averaging 34 home runs, 106 RBI and a .291/.376/.528 slash line. 

But we shouldn’t turn our noses up at Moyer, either, who quietly put together one of the longer careers in recent memory, pitching until age 49 before stepping away in 2012. He was a reliable mid-rotation starter and amassed over 4,000 innings in his big league career, even winning 20+ games twice with those powerful early-2000 Mariners teams.

The thought of Palmeiro’s power paired with the hits machine that was Mark Grace and the power of Sammy Sosa in the 90s sure makes you wonder how differently things might have gone. None of the guys who came back in the deal did much, with the exception of Williams’ brilliant 1989 campaign.