BASEBALL’S STRANGEST TRADE

Mets Trade Harry Chiti — for Harry Chiti

Catcher makes history in bizarre 1962 transaction

NEW YORK — June 15, 1962 — Baseball has produced its share of unusual trades, but few can match the strange journey of catcher Harry Chiti, who became famous for essentially being traded for himself.

The story began during the New York Mets’ inaugural season. On April 26, 1962, the expansion Mets acquired Chiti from the Cleveland Indians. Contemporary transaction records describe New York as purchasing Chiti, while the story that became baseball legend says the arrangement also involved a player to be named later.

A Short Stay in New York

The Mets hoped the veteran catcher could strengthen a team struggling through its first season. Chiti had already spent years in the major leagues, including time with the Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Athletics and Detroit Tigers. His stay in New York, however, was brief. Chiti appeared in only 15 games for the Mets, batting .195 with a .233 on-base percentage and .220 slugging percentage. Then came the twist.............

On June 15, less than two months after acquiring him, the Mets returned Chiti to Cleveland. According to the famous version of the transaction, Chiti himself became the player to be named later in the original deal. In other words:

Cleveland traded Harry Chiti to New York.

New York traded Harry Chiti back to Cleveland.

The player Cleveland ultimately received was…Harry Chiti.

Baseball History Is Made

The transaction earned Chiti a peculiar place in baseball history as the first Major League player widely credited with being traded for himself. Baseball-Reference still identifies him with that distinction. There is an interesting historical wrinkle. Research by the Society for American Baseball Research notes that Chiti himself later described the transaction as involving a player to be named later, while surviving records leave some uncertainty about exactly how the original agreement was structured. MLB has likewise acknowledged the debate while continuing to celebrate the transaction as one of baseball's great oddities.

Perfectly 1962 Mets

The bizarre episode fit the character of the Mets' unforgettable first season. The expansion club went on to lose 120 games, and its combination of colorful personalities, strange plays and spectacular misfortune became part of baseball folklore. For Chiti, the June transaction effectively ended his major-league career. His final MLB appearance had come on June 10, 1962, against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. After being returned to Cleveland's organization, he was sent to the Indians' minor-league affiliate in Jacksonville.

Yet more than six decades later, Harry Chiti's name remains attached to one of the best trivia questions in baseball

Who was the first Major League Baseball player traded for himself?

Answer: Harry Chiti, 1962