The Braves Trade Rogers Hornsby to the Cubs

On November 7, 1928, the Boston Braves traded Rogers Hornsby, the National League batting champion, to the Chicago Cubs for $200,000 and five players. It was the third time in four years that Hornsby had been traded, an astonishing pattern for a man widely considered the greatest right-handed hitter in baseball history.

Hornsby had hit .387 for the Braves in 1928, winning his seventh and final batting title. He led the league in on-base percentage (.498) and slugging (.632). But the Braves were broke. Boston had finished seventh in the eight-team National League, and club president Emil Fuchs needed the cash more than the batting average.

The Cubs sent Socks Seibold, Percy Jones, Lou Legett, Freddie Maguire, and Bruce Cunningham to Boston along with the money. None of those five players had any lasting impact. The Braves essentially sold Hornsby for cash.

This was the third club to unload Hornsby despite his production. The Cardinals traded him to the Giants after the 1926 season, even though he had just managed St. Louis to a World Series title. The Giants traded him to the Braves after 1927. In every case, Hornsby's combative personality was part of the equation. He feuded with owners, teammates, and front offices. He also had gambling debts that made club officials nervous.

Chicago got what it wanted. Hornsby hit .380 with 39 home runs and 149 RBIs in 1929, and the Cubs won the pennant. His MVP season helped the franchise reach the World Series, where they lost to the Philadelphia Athletics in five games.

Hornsby was traded again, by the Cubs, in 1932.