This day in Los Angeles Dodgers history saw eventual Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez traded to the Montreal Expos in exchange for Delino DeShields.
Completed on November 19, 1993, it has since been reflected on as one of the worst trades in Dodgers franchise history despite Martinez and DeShields at the time both being young talents with plenty of promise.
Then-Dodgers general manager Fred Claire acknowledged there was some risk with completing the trade, but believed it “made all the sense in the world.”
Martinez had been signed by the Dodgers as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic in June 1988. His older brother, Ramon, had been with the organization since 1984 and made his MLB debut during the 1988 season.
The Martinez brothers spent parts of the 1992 and 1993 seasons as Dodgers teammates.
For Pedro Martinez, it amounted to appearing in 67 games (three starts) during that span. He went 10-6 with a 2.58 ERA in those appearances.
Martinez led National League relief pitchers with 10 wins during the 1993 season, tied for first with 113 strikeouts and ranked second with a .187 batting average against.
Meanwhile, DeShields batted .295/.389/.372 with 17 doubles, seven triples, two home runs, 29 rBI and 43 stolen bases in 1993, his fourth season with the Montreal Expos.
The Dodgers’ trade for DeShields addressed a need at second base as Jody Reed became a free agent. Reed was the everyday player at the position for L.A. and hit .276 with two home runs, 31 RBI and one stolen base during what ended up being his only season with the team.
While DeShields took over at second base for the Dodgers, the Expos turned Martinez into a starting pitcher and his career took off.
Martinez won 53 games and a Cy Young Award with the Expos, claimed two more Cy Youngs and a World Series with the Boston Red Sox and was later inducted into the Hall of Fame. Martinez is widely considered one of the best pitchers in MLB history but in a twist that had little to do with a Dodgers organization rich in that area.
Delino DeShields stats with Dodgers
DeShields spent just three seasons with the Dodgers, hitting .241/.326/.327 with 41 doubles, 14 triples, 15 home runs, 111 RBI and 114 stolen bases while appearing in just 370 games.
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