Jeff Bagwell Was in One Of the Worst Trades in Baseball History

Culture

As has been noted on numerous occasions, it's never been proven that former Astros first baseman Jeff Bagwell used steroids, he lives his post-baseball career under a cloud of suspicion. Bagwell smacked 449 homers and batted .297 while notching a sensational .408 OBP. in a 15 year career -- all with Houston.

But it could've been a much different story Bagwell who was actually drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 1989 in the fourth round. In August of 1990 as part of a waiver-wire deal, he was traded to Houston because the Red Sox were in need of bullpen help. So in exchange the Red Sox got 37 year-old Larrry Andersen and, well, that's it.

Who's Larry Andersen?

To his credit, Andersen was a solid reliever throughout his career, but hindsight shows the trade to be one of the worst of all time. Though Andersen posted a 1.23 ERA in 15 games down the stretch for the Red Sox, the team granted him free agency after the season, and he would go on to pitch another four seasons.

Bagwell would go on to win National League Rookie of the Year in 1991, and both drive in and score more than 1,500 runs.