Fansided

Each MLB team’s best trade ever

By Joshua Sadlock

SEATTLE, WA - JUNE 19: Miguel Cabrera #24 of the Detroit Tigers takes a swing during an at-bat in a game against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field on June 19, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. The Mariners won the game 6-2. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - JUNE 19: Miguel Cabrera #24 of the Detroit Tigers takes a swing during an at-bat in a game against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field on June 19, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. The Mariners won the game 6-2. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images) /
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American baseball player George Herman Ruth (1895 – 1948) known as ‘Babe’ Ruth. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images)
American baseball player George Herman Ruth (1895 – 1948) known as ‘Babe’ Ruth. (Photo by MPI/Getty Images) /

New York Yankees: Babe Ruth from the Red Sox, 1919

  • Yankees get: Babe Ruth
  • Red Sox get: cash for their owner’s theatrical productions

Baseball’s transactions were a little bit different in the early days. Players were often sold or had their contracts transferred when the owner was in need of some quick cash. It doesn’t quite work that way in the modern era. True trade or not, the deal that moved Babe Ruth from the Red Sox to the Yankees in 1919 is one of the defining moments of MLB history.

By 1919, Ruth had already established himself as a bona fide MLB superstar. In his final year with Boston, Ruth had finally transitioned completely away from pitching and was a full-time hitter. That proved to be the right choice as he hit 29 home runs to set a new MLB record.

With the Red Sox, Ruth had been a part of three World Series winners, but was primarily a pitcher in each of them. He had only one hit in 11 at-bats, but was 3-0 on the mound with a 0.87 ERA. If Ruth was not already a national sensation before coming to the Yankees, he certainly made sure of that in the 15 years that he would spend with them.

Ruth set every major MLB power record with the Yankees and is still the all-time leader in slugging percentage and OPS. The Yankees won the World Series four times with Ruth, establishing themselves as the dominant MLB franchise. On the opposite side of the deal, the Red Sox would wait nearly 90 years to win another World Series, haunted by the Curse of the Bambino.

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