Just one day and over 100 years ago, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox executed one of the most illustrious trades in baseball history. On December 26, 1919, the Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees for just $100,000.
At the time, Ruth was only 25-years-old, born in Baltimore, Maryland. He weighed slightly over 200 pounds and stood at 6-foot-2. Ruth would obviously go on to be one of the best baseball players in history. It is quite interesting to see the low price for a player of Ruth’s stature, considering players are earning hundreds of millions over the course of a career at this point in time.
The Yankees buy Babe Ruth from the Red Sox December 26, 1919. pic.twitter.com/MUhZPiU26V
— Baseball In Pics (@baseballinpix) December 26, 2021
Ruth finished his career with a .342 batting average, 714 career homers, and 2214 RBIs. He hit 60 homers during the 1927 season over 151 games, posting a .356 average and .772 slugging percentage.
Interestingly, the Red Sox were one of the most dominant teams when the MLB was created, winning five of the first 13 World Series. However, after Ruth joined the Bombers, they took off and left Boston behind. Ruth spent 15 seasons with the Yankees, winning four World Series titles, winning seven total. He was named the American League MVP in 1923, setting records in his wake.
It is an interesting piece of history to see the price that Ruth was ultimately acquired for and the unbelievable career he had after leaving Boston in 1919. At such a ripe age, he would go on to play until 1935, when he was 40 years old.