The Worst Trades The Braves Have Ever Made
The Atlanta Braves have a long and storied history. They franchise has won five World Series in five different decades.
And they've made a lot of big trades. Some have worked wonders in the quest for a championship. Some have backfired miserably.
Here are the four worst trades in Atlanta Braves history.
4. Joe Torre to the Cardinals for Orlando Cepeda (1969)
Before becoming the Yankees' legendary manager, Torre was a nine-time All-Star infielder. The first five of those were with the Milwaukee Braves, then in the first two seasons in Atlanta.
Related: Dodgers Worst Trades In Team History
After a relatively subpar 1968 season, the Braves moved him to St. Louis for Cepeda, who won the 1967 NL MVP.
Torre proceeded to earn four more All-Star bids, including a 1971 season in which he led the league in average (.363) hits (230) and RBI (137) and won the MVP.
Cepeda was serviceable for two seasons but didn't make another All-Star game.
3. Marquis Grissom and David Justice to the Indians for Kenny Lofton and Alan Embree (1997)
After a World Series win in 1995 and a World Series loss in 1996, the Braves decided they needed more so they acquired Lofton, who had made the All-Star Game three years running and led the AL in steals for five straight seasons.
But it cost them, and the return was a bust. Lofton lasted just one season in Atlanta. He had only 27 steals and led the league in caught-stealing (20). What makes it more painful: He went back to Cleveland in 1998. Embree was traded out of Atlanta in 1998 and spent 11 more seasons in the league elsewhere.
They sent away two of the big fan favorites. Justice had an All-Star 1997 season, guiding the Indians to a World Series. Grissom was the starting CF for that Cleveland team before heading to the Brewers.
2. Adam Wainwright, Jason Marquis and Ray King to the Cardinals for J.D. Drew and Eli Marrero (2013)
Drew was just hitting his prime when he joined the Braves and he had a great 2004 season, belting 31 home runs with 93 RBI, 118 runs and a .305 average – all career highs.
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But then he went to the Dodgers in 2005. For that one-year rental, the Braves gave up Wainwright, who spent 18 seasons in St. Louis, finished Top 3 in Cy Young voting four times and retired in 2023 as a Cardinals legend.
1. Elvis Andrus, Neftalí Feliz, Matt Harrison, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and more to the Rangers for Mark Teixeira (2007)
It was an all-in moment for the Braves. Teixeira was a consistent 30-home run, 110-RBI standout for the Rangers. Unfortunately, didn't work out. At all.
Teixeira never made it one full season with Atlanta, traded away to the Angels in the middle of 2008. The Braves didn't make the postseason in other of those campaigns.
What makes it much worse is they supplied the Rangers with key pieces to World Series runs in 2010 and 2011.
Andrus played 12 seasons with the Rangers, making a pair of All-Star Games. Feliz was an All-Star closer and Rookie of the Year winner in 2010. Harrison won 18 games and was an All-Star in 2012.
Related: The Best Trades In Braves History, Ranked
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This story was originally published June 19, 2026 at 2:36 PM.