T-9. Scott Kazmir
At the 2004 trade deadline, the New York Mets were motivated by frustration. Seeking answers to a 49-54 start that had them in fourth place in the NL East, they settled on Tampa Bay Devil Rays starter Victor Zambrano as a solution to their pitching problems.
To get Zambrano, however, the price Tampa Bay demanded was minor league left-hander Scott Kazmir, the hottest name in the Mets’ system at the time.
Called up three weeks later, Kazmir turned in a winning record in 2005. By 2008, he was the ace of Tampa Bay’s World Series team. He made a league-leading 34 starts in 2007, and by the time of his departure for Anaheim at the 2009 trade deadline, he had amassed a 55-44 record, a 3.92 ERA and +16.6 WAR.
Zambrano? He made exactly three appearances for the Mets before being sidelined with an injury. Over the next two seasons, he was 8-14. The Mets won the NL East in 2006, but Zambrano at most played a minor role, going 1-2 in five starts.
He did not pitch in the 2006 postseason and was made a free agent that December.
The math: Kazmir +16.5 for Tampa Bay; Zambrano for New York, +1.4. Net impact: +17.9 WAR.