Team trades pitcher for 10 baseball bats

[bigboydan]

What will we see next, somebody getting traded for 10 cases of beer.

Team trades pitcher for 10 baseball bats

McAllen, Texas — Even though small independent baseball leagues notoriously try to draw fans with promotions like "vasectomy night" and "midget wrestling," two teams had good reasons to swap a right-handed pitcher for 10 bats.

The Calgary Vipers of the Golden Baseball League couldn't get newly signed pitcher John Odom into Canada for immigration reasons.

And the Laredo Broncos of the United League were willing to take a cheap gamble on a pitcher.

Oh, and the Vipers really, really wanted some new bats.

So about a month after being acquired by a Canadian team, Odom found himself on the roster of a team on the Mexican border. All for the price of 10 Prairie Sticks Maple Bats, double-dipped black 34-inch C243 style.

According to the Prairie Sticks Web site, their maple bats retail for $69 a piece, discounted to $65.50 for purchases of six to 11 bats.

The Vipers had signed Odom, but it seems Odom had a "minor," but unspecified, criminal record that he did not reveal to immigration officials before they scanned his passport.

Calgary found the Broncos were willing to take Odom, but the Vipers weren't interested in any of the Laredo players.

[bettilimbroke999]

Hell of a good trade, that guy was worth at least 15 bats

[louisvillekid]

WTF? thats crazy. these guys must only make $20 a game
I think the local AFL2 team only pays the guys like $50 bucks a game and an extra $50 if they win, i might be wrong on that, but i used to know a guy who played one year and i think thats what he said.
I also know a guy who played for the tri-A Redbirds before they became the Bats, back then they were the affiliate for the Cardinals, he said he only made about 20 G a year, but he got called up 2 different times to the Cardinals and sat in the pen for a month and only pitched like 1-2 innings total and made like 30 G each time.

[mofome]

Minor leaguer traded for 10 bats

Minor leaguer traded for 10 bats Story Highlights
Immigration blocked Calgary Vipers' P John Odom from getting into Canada
Odom, 26, was sent to the Laredo Broncos for 10 Prairie Sticks Maple Bats
The bats retail for $69 apiece, discounted to $65.50 for larger purchases






McALLEN, Texas (AP) -- During three years in the low minors, John Odom never really made a name for himself.

That sure changed this week -- he's the guy who was traded for a bunch of bats.

"I don't really care," he said Friday. "It'll make a better story if I make it to the big leagues."

For now, Odom is headed to the Laredo Broncos of the United League. They got him Tuesday from the Calgary Vipers of the Golden Baseball League for a most unlikely price: 10 Prairie Sticks Maple Bats, double-dipped black, 34-inch, C243 style.

"They just wanted some bats, good bats -- maple bats," Broncos general manager Jose Melendez said.

According to the Prairie Sticks Web site, their maple bats retail for $69 each, discounted to $65.50 for purchases of six to 11 bats.

"It will be interesting to see what 10 bats gets us," Melendez said.

The Canadian team signed Odom about a month ago, but couldn't get the 26-year-old righty into the country. It seems Odom had a "minor" but unspecified criminal record that wasn't revealed to immigration officials before they scanned his passport, Vipers president Peter Young said.

Odom said the charge stemmed from a fight he was in at age 17. Although he thought it had been expunged from his record, it popped up during immigration.

Odom spent hundreds of dollars driving to the Canadian border and staying at a Montana hotel while the matter was sorted out. He then drove to Laredo after the trade.

Originally from Atlanta, Odom was drafted late by the San Francisco Giants in 2003. He pitched 38 games, all in Class A, from 2004-06, and was released by the organization this spring.

Laredo intends to activate Odom on Monday and have him make his first start Wednesday.

Odom said he was supposed to be traded for Laredo's best hitter. But when that player balked at moving to Calgary, the bats entered the deal.

Laredo offered cash for Odom, but Young said that was "an insult."

The bat trade wasn't the first time Calgary came up with some creative dealmaking. The Vipers once tried to acquire a pitcher for 1,500 blue seats when they were renovating their stadium, Young said.

[Bet Shooter]

Come on.....is that from The Onion or something like it?

[onlooker]

I think there was a story about someone being traded for some beer. I think Dan posted about that a few years ago.

[onlooker]

Looks like Dan posted this , this morning as well.

http://forum.sbrforum.com/players-talk/76642-team-trades-pitcher-10-baseball-bats.html?highlight=traded+beer

[mofome]

Looks like Dan posted this , this morning as well.

http://forum.sbrforum.com/players-ta...ht=traded+beer

hadnt seen it. can you combine the threads for me bud?

[onlooker]

Looks like Dan posted this , this morning as well.

http://forum.sbrforum.com/players-ta...ht=traded+beer

I just merged the two threads.

[mofome]

onlooker moves with a quickness unlike any other.

[onlooker]

hadnt seen it. can you combine the threads for me bud?

Done.

I didn't either until I was trying to search for that player that was traded for 60 cases of Budweiser beer.

[onlooker]

Here is the story about the player traded for beer.

Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Traded for Beer
Ben Godar

Today, I am proud to be a baseball fan. Despite its scandals, its whining superstars and its gooey sentimentality, baseball is still a sport where a player can be traded for 60 cases of beer.

Yes friends, pitcher Nigel Thatch of Schaumberg in the independent Northern League was traded to Fullerton in exchange for one pallet of Budweiser. As with any transaction, the immediate question that comes to mind is "who got the better deal?" Is this a straight, value-for-value swap, or is it Lou Brock for Ernie Broglio?

My initial reaction was that Fullerton came out ahead on this swap. The market value of 60 cases of Budweiser is around $1,000, which ain't a bad price for a baseball player. And that's if they were buying off the shelf at Safeway. I'd bet with an order that large, you can swing a deal with the brewery. And I wouldn't be surprised if someone in the organization simply "knew a guy" who got his hands on some beer that fell off a truck.

But upon further review, I began to doubt that Mr. Thatch was worth even $1,000 worth of beer. In seven appearances this season, the right-handed pitcher gave up 22 runs, with 24 hits in just 12 and a third innings.

So, the plot thickens. We're not just talking about 60 cases of beer for a pitcher, we're talking about 60 cases of beer for a really lousy pitcher. But there's still one important component to consider in evaluating this trade:

Budweiser is a really lousy beer.

I mean, seriously, would you want 60 cases of Budweiser? Don't get me wrong, I've choked down many cans of the swill at barbecues, dorm room parties and at the homes of unliked relatives. But 60 cases sounds more like a burden than a blessing, even in exchange for a bum arm like Nigel Thatch.

It also makes me wonder if there was negotiation as to the brand of the beer. Perhaps Schaumberg started high with Sam Adams, then Fullerton low-balled them with Tecate. Schaumberg may then have tried for Michelob, but settled for Budweiser when they weren't willing to part with a "player to be named later."

In years to come, we may look back on the Nigel Thatch trade as a mark of the era before player salaries got out of hand. By 2010, I wouldn't be surprised to see a player traded for a pallet of Widmer Hefeweizen.

But it warms my heart to know that America is still a place, and baseball is still a game, where a transaction like this can take place.

[bigboydan]

Here is the story about the player traded for beer.

OMG, I didn't even know that somebody actually was traded for beer before.