Wackiest MLB trade stories in league history: 4. Easy transaction
No matter how hard he tried, pitcher Tim Fortugno was never able to become a reliable player in the major leagues. In total, he managed to rack up only three wins and even then, many would be incredulous that he has any at all. During his brief three-year career in the early/mid-1990s, Fortugno finished with an ERA of 5.06.
But while we’re highlighting his shortcomings on the baseball diamond, at one point, Fortugno had the potential to be a pretty good rotational piece. In 1989, the Brewers believed there was something there but they weren’t interested in giving up a whole lot to get him. Luckily for them, the Reno Silver Sox wasn’t very high on him anyways.
In order to pry him away, the Brewers simply had to cough up $2,500 in cash and throw in a bag of baseballs.
As mentioned previously, Fortugno wasn’t very good during his time in the majors and quickly flamed out. It’s unclear if he lasted longer than the baseballs that were traded away for him but it was close.