15 worst trades in Chicago White Sox franchise history

No. 3: Rich "Goose" Gossage and Terry Forster to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Richie Zisk and Silvio Martínez - December 1976

This deal is yet another one that makes at least a little bit of sense, but ultimately wound up a loss for the White Sox.

At the time of this deal, Gossage had made himself known as one of the better pitchers in the game, finding success as both a starting pitcher and closer all while being 24 years old and younger. In parts of five years, he had a 3.80 ERA and 97 ERA+ across 188 games and 584+ innings.

His low ERA+ is largely thanks to the first few years of his career. He made the All-Star Game in each of his final two years in Chicago.

Forster had been a versatile pitcher for the Sox as well, also starting and closing games at some point throughout his six-year tenure on the club. He had a 3.36 ERA and 111 ERA+ in 263 appearances and 605 innings before the trade.

On the other side of things, Zisk had made himself into one of the more dynamic power hitters in the game for Pittsburgh. He finished ninth in the 1973 Rookie of the Year standings and twice earned NL MVP votes during his six-year tenure.

Along the way, he hit 69 home runs with a .299 average and 137 OPS+. He gave the Sox a slugger but at a serious cost.

Martínez appeared in just 10 games for the White Sox in 1977 before moving on to the Cardinals, where he found quite a bit more success. His career in Chicago saw him post a 5.57 ERA in 21 innings, walking 12 batters while striking out just 10.

Zisk also wound up playing just a single season for the White Sox, and while he did well, giving up someone of Gossage's stature for just one year of Zisk is a tough one.

Gossage, of course, went on to become one of the more dominant closers this game has ever seen. He played 22 years in the big leagues and was eventually voted into the Hall of Fame. Losing him, especially for just one year of Zisk, is still a tough pill to swallow.