Unknown Transaction: Cardinals Trade Rochester for Don Landrum

The site “On a Silver Diamond” is a brilliant history of the Rochester minor league team, and a site that I have used frequently in compiling the entries on this blog.

While searching around for information on Dick Ricketts, the former Cardinals pitcher/pro basketball player, I found where he went from Rochester and the Cardinals system in 1961 to Buffalo and the Phillies system in 1961.

Little did I know that the details in the move were pivotal in the history of Rochester baseball…

“Noticed by few that day was the Cardinal's acquisition of Buffalo outfielder Don Landrum, who had led the IL in several offensive categories. Former Wing infielder Bob Sadowski, who spent the remainder of the season in San Diego, was the player named to complete the trade. He was not, however, the sole player going to Buffalo. The bombshell came the next day, when the Cards announced that Jim Frey, Billy Harrell, Wally Shannon and Dick Ricketts would go to Buffalo to consummate the deal. The foursome would be allowed to complete their seasons in Rochester, but the deal, which took three regulars and a starting pitcher, loomed dark over prospects for the next season.” - "On a Silver Diamond"

Further reading in the articles shows how taken aback the Rochester franchise was by this move, and it certainly was a factor in their dropping a working agreement with the Cardinals…joining with the Orioles.

But what about the trade itself? It doesn’t show on Harrell, Shannon, or Ricketts’ pages, and Don Landrum's Baseball Reference page has this:

September 19, 1960: Traded by the Philadelphia Phillies to the St. Louis Cardinals for Bob Sadowski.

Well, we need to add the “and players to be named later” and Ricketts, Frey, Shannon and Harrell to the list.

Of those four, Harrell never played for Buffalo. He was snatched up in December by Boston in a Rule V pickup. Ricketts, Frey and Shannon all finished with Buffalo over the next few seasons.