Wackiest MLB trade stories in league history: 19. $1 is all it takes
Sometimes, not every single part of a trade is made public. During a transaction between the Oakland A’s and the Milwaukee Brewers, that’s exactly what happened but nothing appeared out of the ordinary.
Brad Mills was destroying the competition as a member of the Nashville Sounds, a minor league affiliate of the Brewers. In 14 games with the club, Mills posted an ERA of 1.56. He quickly became the talking point of multiple trades. The A’s were able to pry him away but not without paying a heavy price.
Originally, it was announced that Mills was traded to the A’s for “cash considerations.” The hefty sum was then revealed to be one whole dollar. At first, it appeared as though the A’s were getting a steal of a player, however, Mills’ performance made them question whether or not he was worth that single buck. During his two years with the team, Mills registered an ERA over 5.00 and won only one game. He was seldom used as he spent the majority of his time glued to the bench.
While they won’t complain about spending that single dollar, at some point, they were probably thinking that they could have found a better way to use that money.