Transforming Transactions: More Than Meets the Eye

Last time we looked at Ray Crone and his transactions, most of which seemed to be by Toronto. This time we look closer at a deal involving him that certainly is more complicated than earlier thought.

July 15, 1958: Traded by the San Francisco Giants to Toronto (International) for Don Johnson.

That is what Crone's Baseball reference page has for the deal that sent Crone to Toronto for the first time.

But in checking Johnson's Baseball Reference minor league page, we find that Johnson winds up right back in Toronto, and we found that he was packaged with Crone in a Toronto sale later.

I also found this tale from the Times-News of Feb. 9, 1966 in a story about Jack Kent Cooke getting a NHL franchise:

"Back in 1958 when he still owned the Toronto baseball club, for example, he had a pitcher named Don Johnson whom the San Francisco Giants suddenly took a shine to. Cooke talked the Giants into giving him three players for Johnson and a fourth to be delivered later.
The Giants sent pitchers Ernie Broglio and Ray Crone and outfielder Jim King to Toronto.
Then when the season was over they sent Cooke the fourth player, Johnson."

According to that article, Johnson was the PBTL in the deal for himself.

But what about Broglio and King? How do they enter the deal?

This article in the Montreal Gazette of July 16, 1958 may get us closer to the answer:

“Toronto of the International League today sent pitcher Don Johnson, formerly with the New York Yankees, to San Francisco of the National league in return for three players. He is a right hander. 

Leaf president Jack Kent Cooke said the Toronto club would get Ernie Broglio, a pitcher with an 8-1 record this season with Phoenix of the Pacific Coast League: Jim King, who came to San Francisco this year in a player swap with the St. Louis Cardinals, and one player still not named.”

Hm. No mention of Crone in that one. Broglio and King get sent back to the Giants after the season in this article from the Miami News of Sep. 8, 1958... 

"(The Giants have) Recalled from Toronto were pitcher Ernie Broglio and outfielder Jim King."

Broglio gets traded to the Cardinals in the off-season, but King goes back to Toronto. From  the Spokane Daily Chronicle of Feb. 25, 1959...

"Five members of last year's Toronto Maple Leaf's club have signed 1959 contracts....

....signed were second baseman Mike Goliat, third-baseman Stan Jok, shortstop Hector rodriguez, outfielder Jim King and pitcher Jim Pearce."

Can't find where King would have been released or sold to Toronto, an independent AAA team during this time. King's major league Baseball reference page only mentions the following:

July 15, 1958: Sent from the San Francisco Giants to Toronto (International) in an unknown transaction. 

Well, if the deal was on that day, we have solved that unknown transaction. King's page also has this deal from Toronto to Cleveland:

Before 1960 Season: Obtained by the Cleveland Indians from Toronto (International) as part of a minor league working agreement.  

The Oct. 18, 1960 Toledo Daily Blade has this:

"Jim King, 28-year-old outfielder who won the International League's Most Valuable Player rating last season, has been purchased from Toronto by the Cleveland Indians, the Cleveland club announced today."

It looks like King was Toronto property during the 1960 season, though by then the club was under the Cleveland organization umbrella. After the season, THEN they sold him to Cleveland.

So here's what I can gather happened on July 15, 1958:

The Giants traded pitchers Ray Crone and Ernie Broglio and outfielder jim King and a player to be named later to Toronto of the IL for pitcher Don Johnson. The Giants returned Johnson to Toronto as the player to be named later to close the deal.

A very complicated deal, as it turned out!

King from  www.tradingcarddb.com
Broglio from www.vintagecardtraders.org 
Johnson from  1952toppsbaseballcards.com

 

Toronto Keeps Selling Ray Crone

Ray Crone was a pretty fair pitcher for the Braves and Giants in the mid fifties. His major league career ended in 1958 when the Giants traded him to independent AAA team Toronto.

His transactive career (copyright phrase and new word ME) didn't end there as he bopped around a bit for a few years,

This Milwaukee Sentinel article from July 5, 1959 shows that Toronto found they enjoyed selling Crone so much they did it twice in a week:

"The (Birmingham) Barons have returned veteran pitcher Ray Crone to Toronto and the International League immediately sold him to the Memphis Chicks.
Crone, 27, lost two games during his one week with the Barons. The Birmingham club had purchased him conditionally from Toronto."

So, on or about June 29, 1959, Toronto sold Crone to Birmingham on a conditional deal. Birmingham returned Crone to Toronto July 5, 1959. Toronto sold Crone to Memphis July 5, 1959.

Toronto wasn't done selling Ray Crone. Somehow they get control of Crone back before the 1960 season, according to the Milwaukee Sentinel of Jan. 25, 1960...

"The Portland Beavers of the Pacific Coast League have bought two former major league pitchers, Ray Crone and Don Johnson, from Toronto of the International League. No price was revealed."

Oddly, Crone and Johnson were traded for each other in the Giants-Toronto deal in 1958.

This Sentinel article, though, messes up in the second graph: "(Crone) was 0-2 for Toronto last season after spending most of the season on the Giants' bench." Crone was not on the Giants at all that year.

Portland, another independent AAA team, moved Crone on to Dallas-Fort Worth and the Athletics' organization...from the Bend Bulletin of June 3, 1960...

"PORTLAND (UPI) - The Portland Beavers released and sold two veteran pitchers Thursday. The Beavers announced they have sold Ray Crone, a former major league miner with Milwaukee, to Dallas-Fort Worth of the American Association and released Bob Alexander."

Crone finished the season at Dallas, and played one more year in single-A before calling it a career.

No word on if Toronto tried selling him after he retired.

Crone card from www.tradingcarddb.com