Yankees: The worst trades in franchise history

2. October 21, 1981. New York trades Willie McGee to the St. Louis Cardinals for Bob Sykes.

New York knew Willie McGee was talented when they drafted him in 1977, but they never could have imagined that he would become one of the best leadoff hitters in baseball when they dealt him to St. Louis following the 1981 season. That’s just what he did, however, spanning an 18-year career in which he batted .295/.333/.396.

In 1985 he hit .353/.384/.503 while en route to winning the NL Most Valuable Player Award.

Bob Sykes had spent the previous five seasons between the Tigers and Cardinals, bouncing between the rotation and bullpen with relatively average results. Sykes lasted one year in the Yankees minor league system, going 3-3 with a 5.30 ERA in 38 relief appearances between Double-A and Triple-A, before calling it a career.

1. December 9, 1982. New York trades Fred McGriff, Mike Morgan, and Dave Collins, and cash considerations to the Toronto Blue Jays for Tom Dodd and Dale Murray.

For many Yankees fans that followed the team throughout the 1980s, Don Mattingly was everything. He was the quintessential Yankee and he did everything he was ever asked of him except win a World Series (something we can’t solely fault him for). For as good as Donnie Baseball was, just imagine if he had Fred McGriff in the lineup to support him. Both were first basemen, but with the designated hitter available the team could have found a way to get them both plenty of at-bats.

It could have happened, but the Yankees instead opted to trade McGriff less than a year after drafting him. He’d ultimately go on to spend 19 years in the majors, mashing 493 home runs (including hitting a homer in more stadiums than anyone) before he was done. McGriff hit .284/.377/.509 over his career and was an MVP candidate every year from 1988 to 1993.

Morgan didn’t do much for the Blue Jays (throwing just 45.1 innings for them in 1983) but ultimately stuck around long enough to carve out a 22-year career in the majors. Collins would bounce around a bit until retiring after the 1990 season, but his two years in Toronto were among the best of his career (he hit .291/.355/.389 for the Jays).

Dodd was released by the Yankees the following May. He’d receive a brief cup of coffee with the Orioles in 1986. Murray spent parts of three seasons in the Yankees bullpen, making just 62 appearances with a 4.73 ERA.