Wackiest MLB trade stories in league history: 15. Money and baseballs
Keith Comstock wasn’t overly impressive during his time with the Oakland Athletics but that didn’t stop other clubs from wanting him. Amongst them, was the Detroit Tigers.
With Comstock putting up fairly pedestrian numbers, the Athletics’ asking price wasn’t entirely high. Initially, Detroit offered to pay a flat fee of $100. Considering that their proposed trade came in the early 1980s, $100 simply wasn’t a large sum of money, especially when they weren’t adding a player to the mix.
While Comstock wasn’t a hot commodity, he was a decent player with upside. Unwilling to give up on their pursuit, the Tigers sweetened their offer and made it impossible for the Athletics to walk away. In addition to giving up $100, the Tigers also threw in a bag of baseballs.
For some reason, adding a bag of baseballs was enough to do the trick. The Tigers officially had their man. In hindsight, they might’ve overpaid, Comstock would only launch 14 homers during his entire six-year career.