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OLD FACES, NEW PLACES: 1904’s NOTABLE OFFSEASON MOVES
MWBA SIGNIFICANTLY BUSIER BRINGING IN NEW PLAYERS

New York City & Chicago (4/1/1904) – Opening day for the 1904 American Baseball Association season might fall on April Fools’ Day, but the various signings and trades that happened during the 1903/04 offseason were very real. Players young and old changed teams, new contracts were signed, and thanks to the National Baseball Organization’s transfer system young talent was injected into the ABA’s two leagues. A summary of the winter’s notable moves, involving players who are all expected to have regular roles with their teams this season:

AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL LEAGUE

• Oct. 16th: New Jersey traded for Lake Mich. LF Thomas Buchanan (43.9 career WAR) in exchange for a top prospect
• Oct. 17th: Brooklyn signed 1B George Bixby (1903 Batting Champion) to a five-year extension ($5,100/yr)
• Oct. 21st: Brooklyn signed SP/RF Anthony Molloy (68.3 career WAR) to a four-year extension ($8,600/yr)
• Oct. 29th: Providence traded for Washington SP Ralph Easterly in exchange for a backup C and a reserve squad SP
• Nov. 2nd: Manhattan traded for Boston SP Arthur Hanks (195 career W) in exchange for a top prospect
• Nov. 23rd: Philadelphia transferred C Thomas Weems from Dubuque (PL) for $3,000
• Nov. 27th: Manhattan signed Mpls. SP Tracy Gilchrist (24-7, 3.26 ERA, 116 K) to a four-year contract ($5,375/yr)
• Nov. 28th: New York signed Boston SP Phil Koenig (20-16, 3.16 ERA, 118 K) to a four-year contract ($3,400/yr)
• Dec. 7th: Jersey City traded for Mpls. CF George Dulia (58.1 career WAR) & a reserve team P in exchange for two prospects
• Dec. 8th: New Jersey traded for Cleveland SS Levi Trainor (.260, 1 HR, 45 RBI) in exchange for a prospect
• Dec. 12th: New York transferred CF Charlie Holder (NBBO: .314, 9 HR, 72 RBI) from Baltic BBC (NYL) for $9,000
• Dec. 19th: New York traded for Boston 2B Bonaventure Martin (29.4 career WAR) in exchange for a top prospect
• Jan. 5th: Rochester traded 2B Jan Schaaphok (.255, 39 SB, 3.3 WAR) to Evansville (SEAL) for two prospects
• Jan. 22nd: Boston signed 1B Clarence Riggs (.358, .466 OBP, 7.1 oWAR) to a two-year extension ($,4,700/yr)
• Feb. 28th: Excelsior traded RF Henry North (.321, 91 RBI, 5.3 WAR) to Richmond (SEAL) for a top prospect
• Mar. 12th: Boston signed St. Louis RF Finn Kennedy (.285, 61 RBI, 28 SB) to a 1-year contract ($2,450)

MIDWESTERN BASEBALL ASSOCIATION

• Oct. 9th: Minneapolis signed 1B James Keller (.408, 11 HR, 92 RBI, BotY) to a five-year extension ($7,400/yr)
• Oct. 12th: Minneapolis signed SP Hoyt Yarborough (22-15, 3.41, 212 K) to a two-year extension ($4,500/yr)
• Oct. 13th: C’bus signed Vermont (NEBA) 1B Angus Quinn (NBBO: .394, 7 HR, 75 RBI, .488 OBP) to 5-year contract ($3,725/yr)
• Oct. 16th: Detroit signed Memphis (SEAL) 2B Robert Gibson (.325, 1 HR, 48 RBI) to a six-year contract ($3,900/yr)
• Oct. 18th: Louisville signed Toledo CF Jared Gladney (.304, 4 HR, 60 RBI) to a four-year contract ($5,025/yr)
• Oct. 19th: Lake Michigan traded for Toledo SP Fred Gorton (21.8 career WAR) in exchange for a top prospect
• Oct. 20th: Kansas City traded for Phila. RF Ira Ritter (22.3 career WAR) in exchange for a prospect
• Oct. 22nd: Indianapolis signed Cincinnati SP Franklin Harding (19-14, 2.27 ERA, 137 K) to a seven-year contract ($6,200/yr)
• Oct. 23rd: Missouri traded for Excelsior SP Frank Abernathy (18-17, 3.30 ERA, 125 K) in exchange for a top prospect
• Oct. 24th: Columbus signed Brooklyn SP George Aldrich (19-15, 3.88 ERA, 105 K) to a five-year contract ($5,625/yr)
• Oct. 25th: Columbus signed Penn. SP Redmond Krebs (247 career W, 74.2 WAR) to a five-year contract ($5,200/yr)
• Oct. 31st: Missouri signed Yonkers (NYL) 1B Carl Wells (.353 career AVG in NBBO) to a four-year contract ($3,800/yr)
• Nov. 1st: Toledo signed Columbus SP/C Gerald Pierotti (94.0 career WAR) to a four-year contract ($7,000/yr)
• Nov. 5th: Milwaukee traded for Toledo SP Elmer Brown (16-13, 3.25 ERA, 98 K) in exchange for a prospect
• Nov. 10th: Cincinnati signed Atlanta (SEAL) 2B Frank Kirkland (.326, 64 RBI, 3.7 WAR) to a seven-year contract ($3,475/yr)
• Nov. 14th: Omaha signed Washington LF Paris Glenn (38.7 career WAR) to a five-year contract ($3,950/yr)
• Nov. 21st: Columbus transferred 1B Bernard Custer (NBBO: .361, 10 HR, 89 RBI) from Houston (SL) for $10,000
• Nov 25th: Kansas City signed Ville Marie (CBL) C Fred Charron (3 straight TotY) to a five-year contract ($4,700/yr)
• Nov. 25th: Milwaukee signed Brooklyn LF Lindsey Christianson (‘00 BotY, 74.3 WAR) to a two-year contract ($8,800/yr)
• Nov. 30th: Cincinnati signed Ville Marie (CBL) SS Clay Brunt (7 straight GG, 40.4 WAR) to a six-year contract ($4,100/yr)
• Dec. 2nd: Minneapolis transferred SP Thomas Willard (NBBO: 18-7, 2.07 ERA, 8.0 WPA) from Continental (NYL) for $9,000
• Dec. 5th: Toledo transferred RF Earl Frey (NBBO: .357, 5 HR, 48 RBI) from Worcester (NEL) for $8,000
• Dec. 9th: Missouri transferred LF Patrick Simon (NBBO: .297, 42 RBI, 4.1 WAR) from South Bend (PL) for $6,000
• Dec. 9th: Toledo transferred CF George Stanton (NBBO: .323, 48 RBI, 4.2 WAR) from Olympic (NEL) for $8,000
• Dec. 12th: St. Louis signed Columbus SP Hiram Yeager (21-10, 3.66 ERA, 126 K) to a three-year contract ($4,625/yr)
• Dec. 13th: Missouri transferred 3B David Fuqua (NBBO: .310, 49 SB, 3.5 WAR) from Eckford (NYL) for $7,500
• Dec. 13th: St. Paul signed Columbus 3B Kewin Barry (.278, 6 HR, 72 RBI) to a three-year contract ($4,125/yr)
• Dec. 16th: Louisville transferred SP James Boynton (NBBO: 20-9, 2.47 ERA, 9.1 WAR) from Fall River (NEBA) for $7,500
• Dec. 19th: Chicago signed int’l 4.5-star free agent Bailey Grant to a five-year contract ($5,875/yr)
• Dec. 24th: Lake Michigan transferred RF Louis Eberhart (NBBO: .327, 82 R, 5.0 WAR) from Grand Rapids (GLBC) for $7,000
• Dec. 28th: Lake Michigan transferred LF Per Nissen (NBBO: .314, 7 HR, 66 RBI) from Camden (NEL) for $4,500
• Dec. 31st: Lake Michigan signed SP Clarence Boston (career 145-107, 48.9 WAR) to a seven-year extension ($6,350/yr)
• Jan. 2nd: Cleveland signed Missouri 1B Mark Cronan (105 RBI, ’01 BotY) to a four-year contract ($6,600/yr)
• Jan. 22nd: Cleveland signed Peoria (GLBC) SS John Wheelock (NBBO: 5x TotY, .330 AVG) to a five-year contract ($6,500/yr)
• Feb. 3rd: Louisville transferred LF Frank Hinson (4.5-star prospect) from Peoria (GLBC) for $9,000
• Feb. 22nd: Omaha signed Evansville (SEAL) 2B Andre Guillaume (.307, 6 HR, 44 RBI) to a three-year contract ($3,675/yr)
• Mar. 9th: Kansas City traded for Cleveland 3B Cyrano Kalvos (.318, 3 HR, 79 RBI) in exchange for a top prospect
• Mar. 29th: Lake Michigan transferred CF Luis Gutierrez (CNS: 52 SB, 4.4 WAR, GG) from Santiago (CNS) for $5,000

It’s obvious the MWBA was SIGNIFICANTLY busier in bringing in new talent, and it’s clear why. The three-team trio of Minneapolis, Columbus, & Missouri was so much better than the rest of the league in 1903 that the other thirteen front offices had to spend the winter catching up, or the outcomes of both leagues would practically have been decided before a ball was even thrown. Will that make the MWBA collectively better than the APBL? It'll be hard to tell, but the MWBA certainly had the more interesting offseason.