Today In Dodger History: Dodgers Trade Pedro Martinez To Expos

Teams often make trades that they think will make the team better and end up regretting it later. On this date in 1993, the Dodgers made one of those trades when they sent a 22-year-old pitcher by the name of Pedro Martinez to the Montreal Expos in exchange for 24-year-old second baseman Delino DeShields.

Martinez went on to become one of the best starting pitchers of the decade, while DeShields spent just three seasons with the Dodgers before leaving as a free agent. DeShields never hit higher than .256 with the Dodgers and while he did have 114 stolen bases in 370 games in Los Angeles, he never panned out as the second baseman of the future the Dodgers envisioned. DeShields went on to have some success with his future teams but never compared to the player that Martinez became.

Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda thought Martinez was too small to become an effective starting pitcher in the major leagues. The Dodgers had his brother, starting pitcher Ramon Martinez, but that wasn’t enough to keep the family together. Martinez spent four years with the Expos and won at least 11 games every season. In 1997, Martinez went 17-8 with a 1.90 ERA and 305 strikeouts in 31 starts. After that season, the right-hander was traded to the Boston Red Sox for Carl Pavano and Tony Armas, Jr. With the Red Sox, Martinez became a superstar that helped the Red Sox win their first World Series title since 1918 and became an eccentric personality that thrived in the pressure of Boston.

Deshields is currently a manager for the Cincinnati Reds affiliate, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos after a 13-year career in the majors. His son was drafted eighth overall in the 2010 MLB Draft. Meanwhile, Martinez joined the Red Sox as a special assistant after finishing his 18-year career and was seen this postseason on TBS as an analyst.