MLB Trade Deadline: 20 wackiest trade stories in league history

Wackiest MLB trade stories in league history: 5. Cleveland hoped for a return

During the 1994 MLB season, the Cleveland Indians were cruising through the league. They routinely ran through their opponents and put up a ton of runs in the process. Unfortunately for the Indians, their title dreams went by the wayside as the players ditched their helmets and bats and chose to strike over the insistence of a salary cap.

While the entire season and playoffs would be forever lost, the Indians held out hope that play would resume. During the strike, the Indians figured that it was the best time for them to solidify their ballclub. To do so, they traded for Hall of Fame right fielder, Dave Winfield from the Minnesota Twins for a player to be named later. But that’s where things got weird.

The ’94 strike stopped play for the rest of the year and Winfield was in the final year of his contract and chose to sign elsewhere in the offseason. So, with the Indians essentially getting a player for nothing in return, they attempted to make things right. While Minnesota wishes they got their hands on a valuable player, they ultimately settled on a nice dinner instead.