On July 29, 1919, the New York Yankees traded Bob McGraw, Allen Russell, and $40,000 in cash to the Boston Red Sox for Carl Mays -- a submarine-delivery right-hander with a 5-11 record, a reputation for being impossible to get along with, and the kind of talent that smart organizations bet on when the price is right. The Red Sox were happy to be rid of him. The Yankees were happy to take the gamble. Mays arrived in New York and posted a 9-3 record with a 1.65 ERA in 13 games, transforming from a struggling malcontent into one of the American League's most effective pitchers. The trade didn't just change the 1919 season. It changed the franchise.
The Problem in Boston
Mays had been unhappy with the Red Sox for most of the 1919 season. His 5-11 record masked decent pitching -- his ERA was lower than the record suggested -- but the losing, the team's direction, and personality clashes with teammates had pushed him to a breaking point. He demanded a trade. When the Red Sox didn't immediately comply, Mays simply left the team.
The walkout forced Boston's hand. Red Sox owner Harry Frazee, perpetually short on cash and increasingly willing to sell talent for money, found a willing buyer in the Yankees. The $40,000 in cash sweetened the deal enough for Frazee to part with a pitcher he no longer wanted to deal with. For Frazee, the transaction solved two problems at once: it removed a disruptive presence from his clubhouse and put money in his pocket.
The Submarine Arrives
Mays's submarine delivery -- a pitch thrown from below the waist, rising toward the hitter with unusual trajectory -- was unlike anything most batters faced regularly. The unorthodox arm angle created movement that made his fastball seem faster and his breaking ball harder to track. Hitters who'd solved conventional pitching struggled to adjust to the ball coming from a completely different angle.
The delivery also made Mays dangerous. His willingness to pitch inside, combined with the difficulty of tracking his rising fastball, meant hitters couldn't get comfortable in the box. That intimidation factor, combined with genuinely good stuff, made Mays one of the league's most difficult assignments when he was right.
The Transformation in Pinstripes
The difference between Mays in Boston and Mays in New York was immediate and dramatic. His 1.65 ERA in 13 games with the Yankees ranked among the best stretches of pitching in the American League that season. His 9-3 record reflected a team that scored runs for him and a manager in Miller Huggins who understood how to handle complicated personalities.
Huggins deserved credit for the turnaround. Where the Red Sox had clashed with Mays, Huggins found a way to channel the pitcher's intensity productively. He didn't try to change Mays's personality. He just pointed it at opposing lineups and let the results speak for themselves. The approach -- manage the talent, not the temperament -- would serve Huggins well when he inherited an even more challenging personality in Babe Ruth the following season.
The First Domino
The Mays trade established a pattern that would define the Yankees' rise to power. The formula was simple: identify talent that other organizations had undervalued or couldn't handle, acquire it cheaply, and put it in a winning environment. The Red Sox had given up on Mays because of his personality. The Yankees saw past the personality to the 1.65 ERA underneath.
Five months after the Mays trade, the same Red Sox sold Babe Ruth to the same Yankees for $125,000 plus a $300,000 loan. The logic was identical: Frazee needed money, the Yankees had it, and a generational talent moved from Boston to New York because one organization couldn't see past its immediate problems to the long-term value.
The 1918 trades had been the opening act. The Mays deal was the proof of concept. The Ruth purchase was the climax. Together, they formed the most consequential series of transactions in baseball history.
Mays's Later Career
Mays would go on to win 20-plus games for the Yankees in 1920 and 1921, becoming a cornerstone of the team's first pennant-winning roster. His career, though, would be marked by a tragedy that overshadowed everything else. On August 16, 1920, Mays hit Cleveland's Ray Chapman with a pitch. Chapman died the next day -- the only on-field death in Major League Baseball history. The incident would follow Mays for the rest of his life, complicating his legacy and preventing his candidacy for the Hall of Fame.
But in July 1919, all of that was in the future. The trade was simply a smart baseball move: the right player, acquired at the right price, producing results that exceeded expectations. The Yankees were learning how to build a winner, one trade at a time.
| Trade Date | July 29, 1919 |
| Player Acquired | Carl Mays (RHP) |
| Cost | Bob McGraw, Allen Russell, $40,000 |
| Mays's Record in Boston | 5-11 |
| Mays's Record with Yankees | 9-3, 1.65 ERA (13 games) |
| Combined 1919 Record | 14-14 |
| Delivery Style | Submarine |
Mays Struggles in Boston
Mays compiles a 5-11 record with the Red Sox, growing increasingly unhappy with the team's direction and his role.
Mays Leaves the Team
Frustrated beyond his breaking point, Mays walks out on the Red Sox and demands a trade.
Traded to the Yankees
The Yankees acquire Mays for Bob McGraw, Allen Russell, and $40,000. The deal is orchestrated by manager Miller Huggins.
Dominant in Pinstripes
Mays posts a 9-3 record with a 1.65 ERA in 13 games, immediately becoming one of the Yankees' most effective pitchers.
Ruth Trade Follows the Same Pattern
Five months after the Mays trade, the Red Sox sell Babe Ruth to the Yankees for $125,000 -- completing the talent pipeline from Boston to New York.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the Red Sox trade Carl Mays?
Mays was unhappy in Boston, carrying a 5-11 record despite decent pitching. After personality clashes with teammates and management, he walked out on the team and demanded a trade. Owner Harry Frazee, who needed cash, traded Mays to the Yankees for two players and $40,000.
How did Mays perform after joining the Yankees?
Mays was dominant after the trade, going 9-3 with a 1.65 ERA in 13 games. His submarine delivery baffled AL hitters, and Miller Huggins's management style brought out the best in the difficult pitcher.
How did the Mays trade connect to the Babe Ruth sale?
Both deals followed the same formula: the Red Sox needed money, the Yankees had it, and talent flowed from Boston to New York. The Mays trade in July 1919 proved the concept. The Ruth sale in December 1919 -- $125,000 plus a $300,000 loan -- completed the transfer of power between the two franchises.