10 worst Boston Red Sox trades in team history
By Tim Boyle
2) Worst Red Sox trade: Jeff Bagwell for Larry Andersen
Only two years after he was drafted in the first round by the Red Sox, Jeff Bagwell was the Rookie of the Year. There’s a problem. He didn’t do it for Boston. Bagwell won his 1991 Rookie of the Year with the only major league team he would ever play for, the Houston Astros.
The 1994 MVP would finish his career with 2314 hits and 449 strikeouts on his way to eventually landing in Cooperstown. The Red Sox had him all the way up until August 30, 1990, when they traded him to Houston for reliever Larry Andersen.
Andersen was a quirky reliever during his playing days and has even carried over his fun personality to Philadelphia Phillies broadcasts. This hardly helps make up for the fact that the Red Sox traded a star like Bagwell to Houston for a middle reliever.
To ease the pain a little bit, Andersen was terrific for the Red Sox in his 22 regular season games. He pitched to a 1.23 ERA in 1990 after joining them. Unfortunately, he got knocked around in the ALCS with a pair of earned runs in 3 innings. He was the loser in Game 1 of the ALCS when he allowed two late runs to the Oakland Athletics right before the wheels completely fell off for the Red Sox.