The Reds Land Ernie Lombardi in a Six-Player Spring Training Swap

On March 14, 1932, the Cincinnati Reds and Brooklyn Dodgers completed a six-player trade during spring training. Cincinnati acquired catcher Ernie Lombardi, outfielder Babe Herman, and third baseman Wally Gilbert. In return, Brooklyn received infielders Joe Stripp and Tony Cuccinello along with catcher Clyde Sukeforth. Reds president Sidney Weil had set a 1 p.m. deadline for the Dodgers to accept the offer, and the deal closed just in time.

The Reds thought they were getting Herman, a productive outfielder who had batted .313 the previous season. Lombardi was an afterthought, a throw-in to balance the trade. That miscalculation turned into one of the most lopsided deals in Cincinnati history. Herman played well enough for one season in a Reds uniform, then bounced to three more clubs before retiring. Lombardi stayed in Cincinnati for a decade and built a Hall of Fame career.

Lombardi was one of the slowest runners in baseball history. Opposing infielders routinely played deep on the outfield grass against him, and he still hit line drives through them. He batted .311 over his 10 seasons with the Reds, won the National League batting title in 1938 with a .342 average, and earned the NL MVP award that same year. He helped Cincinnati win the 1940 World Series over the Detroit Tigers.

His Hall of Fame election did not come until 1986, nearly a decade after his death and more than four decades after his last game. Lombardi's plodding speed worked against his reputation, and his accomplishments were easy to overlook. The trade that brought him to Cincinnati as a spare part turned into the foundation of his legacy.