The Los Angeles Angels’ Most Memorable Trade Deadline Deals

Feb 18, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals former players Jim Edmonds (L)

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chat during Spring Training workouts at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

July 29, 2000- Kent Bottenfield sent to Philadelphia four months after being traded for Jim Edmonds

The story here isn’t that the Phillies traded Ron Gant in exchange for Kent Bottenfield; both were a nuance to their respective clubs.

The tragedy here is in what the Angels gave up for Bottenfield. Jim Edmonds was a fan favorite; a star centerfielder who made one dazzling play after another. Bottenfield, meanwhile, had one respectable season under his belt.

The surly right-hander was 7-8 with a 5.71 ERA in 21 games in Anaheim. He lasted two more years before calling it quits. Gant didn’t fare much better, compiling a .232 average with 6 homers and 16 RBIs in 34 underwhelming games.

As for Edmonds, he would win five Gold Gloves and appear in three All-Star games. He averaged 30 home runs and 89 RBIs in eight season with St. Louis, and won his only World Series in 2006.

This, undoubtedly, was the most lopsided trade in team history. On the plus side, the Angels also got Adam Kennedy in the Edmonds-Bottenfield trade and Angels fans know how big his contributions were during the 2002 postseason.