Pedro Martinez for Delino DeShields

On November 19, 1993, the Dodgers traded Pedro Martinez to the Expos for second baseman Delino DeShields. Los Angeles had failed to re-sign Jody Reed and wanted an everyday second baseman. Martinez was 22, listed at 5-foot-11, a year removed from shoulder surgery, and had just gone 10–5 with a 2.61 ERA as a reliever. The club was not sure the arm would hold up as a starter. DeShields was a former first-round pick who could run and hit at the top of an order.

DeShields was a useful Dodger and not a disaster. Martinez became a three-time Cy Young winner and, for a few seasons in Boston, the best pitcher alive. The trade looks inevitable only after those seasons. In November 1993 it was a team choosing a position it could see an opening at, and declining to bet that a small right-hander coming off shoulder surgery was the more valuable asset.

They chose wrong. The useful part of the record is that the choice had reasons. The reasons were not good enough.