10 worst Boston Red Sox trades in team history

1) Worst Red Sox trade: Babe Ruth for $100,000 to the Yankees

Not all trades are built the same. For instance, there is this trade. It might be the most famous in the sport. On December 26, 1919, Red Sox fans had their Christmas ruined when Babe Ruth was sold to the New York Yankees for $100,000. Even with inflation factored in, this was a horrendous move for the Red Sox. It’s one that lives on today.

Ruth was already a two-way star. He led the American League in home runs in 1918 and 1919. This was the beginning of his transition away from mostly pitching. Ruth was about to embark on the journey to becoming the first megastar in Major League Baseball history.

The Yankees immediately moved Ruth to the outfield where he’d mash 54 home runs in 1920. The decade belonged to him. While flappers danced excitedly and unaware of the Great Depression that lay ahead, Ruth and his toothpick legs made their way around the bases more than anyone else and by a wide margin.

The trade completely shifted the power in baseball. Ruth won World Series with the Red Sox in 1915, 1916, and 1918. Baseball was now a Yankees sport. He’d win four more with them. It began the “Curse of the Bambino” and a championship drought for the Red Sox that wouldn’t end until 2004. This trade gets the blame.