ST. LOUIS — We've been doing some serious all-time ranking at 5 On Your Side while the COVID-19 pandemic has most of the sports world on pause.
Sports director Frank Cusumano is rolling out his list of the 10 worst trades in the history of St. Louis sports.
We know St. Louis teams have struck it big with good trades, but they've also had a few duds, too.
Do you agree with the list? Let us know.
10: Joey Mullen to Calgary for Gino Cavallini
In 1986 the Blues traded Joey Mullen to the Flames in which they received a good player in Gino Cavallini. Mullen was a great player.
When Mullen retired he had scored more goals and tallied more points than any American player ever.
He won three Stanley Cups after leaving St. Louis and is in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
9: Ahmad Rashad to Buffalo for Dennis Shaw
The St. Louis football Cardinals drafted receiver Ahmad Rashad with the fourth overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Two years later they traded him to Buffalo for backup quarterback Dennis Shaw.
Shaw played in five games with the Big Red before retiring.
Rashad became a star, playing in four pro bowls and catching nearly 500 balls.
Another miss by the Big Red.
The Cardinals traded Smith to the Dodgers in 1976.
Ferguson hit four home runs for the Cardinals.
Smith became a star in Los Angeles. He played in seven all-star games in his career, had 2,000 hits and 1,000 RBI. He won a gold glove and a World Series with the Dodgers.
Ouch.
7: Dave Butz to the Redskins for draft picks
The Big Red got a lot of draft picks for Butz, but we know how the team drafted. (Not so great)
Butz became one of Washington's best players in franchise history.
He won two Super Bowls, was a defensive player of the year and a member of and NFL all-decade team.
6: Jerry Reuss to the Astros for Scipio Spinks and Lance Clemons
Reuss, from Ritenour High School in St. Louis, wanted a raise from $17,000 to $25,000. The Cardinals said no.
Spinks won six games in St. Louis. Clemons won zero.
Reuss won 198 games after leaving St. Louis, a World Series and threw a no-hitter.
Yikes.
5: Jerome Bettis to Steelers for second and fourth rounder
In 1996 the Rams sent Bettis to Pittsburgh because they drafted Lawrence Phillips. Yeah... that didn't work out.
Bettis went on to rush for 2,683 yards after leaving the Rams, made six Pro Bowls, won a Super Bowl and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Rams shouldn't have let "The Bus" leave town.
4: Keith Hernandez to the Mets for Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey
The Cardinals were in a tough spot. They felt they had to trade Hernandez because of drug concerns, but they should've gotten a lot more in return.
Hernandez is the best defensive first baseman of all-time and has 11 Gold Glove to show for it. He won a World Series in New York, and will still likely make it into the Cardinals Hall of Fame.
3: Chris Pronger to the Oilers for three players including Eric Brewer
Following the NHL lockout of '04-'05, the Blues were looking to be penny-wise and were pound foolish.
They sent the best defenseman in franchise history to Edmonton, and Pronger kept on racking up all-star appearances, MVP votes and eventually won a Stanley Cup with Anaheim in 2007.
2: Steve Carlton to the Phillies for Rick Wise
The most infamous trade in Cardinals history.
Wise was no stiff. Carlton was just one of the greatest pitchers in the history of baseball.
Carlton was a 26-year-old lefty who had just won 20 games. He wanted to make $65,000 with the Cardinals. Mr. Busch said no. The rest is history.
Carlton went on to pitch for 16 more seasons, and became a legend in Philadelphia. He had 329 career wins, 4,136 career strikeouts and is in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
This was truly a franchise-altering trade.
1: The draft rights of Bill Russell to the Celtics for Ed Macauley and Cliff Hagan
Macauley and Hagan are great players who ended up in the Hall of Fame. But just think about it...
Bill Russell is the greatest winner in the history of team sports.
He won 11 titles in Boston. Nobody else is even close.
Just image if he had come to St. Louis and created that dynasty here. We may still have an NBA team today.
