San Francisco Giants: 5 Trades That Did Not Work Out

Bobby Bonds is swapped straight up for Bobby Murcer (1974)

This is a rare trade where both teams actually lost. The New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants traded two guys who were the same age, and both made the All-Star team their first year after the trade. Sounds good right?

Well unfortunately, Bobby Murcer didn’t like playing at Candlestick, or for the Giants for that matter. He was a product of the Yankees, and ended up playing his final five seasons back with the team.

In San Francisco, he only lasted two seasons. He hit .279 with 34 home runs total with the Giants. He went on to have pretty good numbers with the Chicago Cubs after being traded there in 1977. But the hatred of Candlestick was apparent, and having been a veteran on the team, his locker room presence could have been a distraction.

Bobby Bonds was a product of the Giants system and his style of play was well-liked by the fans. He struck out a lot early on, but had his strikeouts down to 134 his final year with the team (down from 189 in 1970) His numbers with the Giants before being traded (.273 average, 186 home runs, 552 runs batted in, 2 All-Star games and three Gold Gloves).

His lifetime numbers rival many Hall of Famers, but his career ended with six different teams in his last seven years, and he retired at 35.

This trade didn’t work out well for either of the teams, the fans, or the players. Had Bonds played another couple of years with the Giants, he might be in the Hall of Fame.

Next: No room for the Baby Bull