1897 Major League Transactions

Transactions listed are from November 1 of previous year to April 1 of the following year.

• November 11, 1896

  The Baltimore Orioles traded Steve Brodie and Jim Donnelly to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Elmer Horton, Tom O'Brien, Jake Stenzel and Harry Truby.

• November 13, 1896

  The Brooklyn Grooms traded Tommy Corcoran to the Cincinnati Reds for Chauncey Fisher, Germany Smith and $1,000.

• Before 1897 Season

  The Chicago Colts drafted Jimmy Callahan from Kansas City (Western) in the 1897 rule 5 draft.

  The Cleveland Spiders purchased Jack Powell from Ft. Wayne (Interstate).

  The Brooklyn Grooms drafted Claude Ritchey from Buffalo (Eastern) in the 1897 rule 5 draft.

  The Cincinnati Reds purchased Claude Ritchey from the Brooklyn Grooms for $500.

• February 28, 1897

  The St. Louis Browns selected Duke Esper off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles. (Date given is approximate. Exact date is uncertain.)

• March 3, 1897

  The St. Louis Browns purchased Lou Bierbauer from the Pittsburgh Pirates. (Date given is approximate. Exact date is uncertain.)

• April, 1897

  Milwaukee (Western) purchased Adonis Terry from the Chicago Colts.

• April 15, 1897

  The Louisville Colonels purchased George Hemming from the Baltimore Orioles.

• April 17, 1897

  The Baltimore Orioles released Sadie McMahon.

• April 18, 1897

  The Boston released Cozy Dolan.

• April 20, 1897

  The Brooklyn Grooms signed Sadie McMahon as a free agent.

• May 5, 1897

  The Boston signed Mike Mahoney as an amateur free agent.

• May 11, 1897

  The Louisville Colonels traded Ducky Holmes to the New York Giants for James Stafford.

• May 22, 1897

  The New York Giants released Jake Beckley.

• May 23, 1897

  (Date given is approximate. Exact date is uncertain.)

• May 27, 1897

  The Cincinnati Reds signed Jake Beckley as a free agent.

• June 1, 1897

  The Philadelphia Phillies traded Bill Hallman, Dick Harley and $300 to the St. Louis Browns for Tommy Dowd.

  The Philadelphia Phillies traded Kid Carsey and Mike Grady to the St. Louis Browns for Ed McFarland.

• June 3, 1897

  The Washington Senators purchased Tommy Tucker from the Boston for $2,000.

• June 11, 1897

  The Cleveland Spiders released Chippy McGarr.

• June 16, 1897

  The Louisville Colonels released George Hemming.

  The Louisville Colonels released Jim Rogers.

• June 17, 1897

  The Pittsburgh Pirates signed Jim Rogers as a free agent.

  The Chicago Colts purchased Jim Korwan from the Brooklyn Grooms.

• June 23, 1897

  The St. Louis Browns signed Error as an amateur free agent.

• June 24, 1897

  The St. Louis Browns released Bill Kissinger. (Date given is approximate. Exact date is uncertain.)

• June 26, 1897

  The Cleveland Spiders signed Henry Clarke as an amateur free agent.

• June 30, 1897

  The Chicago Colts released Fred Pfeffer. (Date given is approximate. Exact date is uncertain.)

• July, 1897

  The Cleveland Spiders purchased Charlie Brown from Dayton (Interstate) for $8,800. (Date given is approximate. Exact date is uncertain.)

• July 1, 1897

  The Louisville Colonels signed Irv Hach as a free agent.

  The Boston purchased Fred Lake from Kansas City (Western).

• July 8, 1897

  The Louisville Colonels purchased Win Clark from San Antonio (Texas) for $500. (Date given is approximate. Exact date is uncertain.)

• July 9, 1897

  The Boston released Mike Mahoney.

• July 12, 1897

  The Boston signed Bob Allen as a free agent.

• July 13, 1897

  The Cleveland Spiders released Mike McDermott.

• July 15, 1897

• July 17, 1897

  The St. Louis Browns signed Mike McDermott as a free agent.

• July 21, 1897

  The Brooklyn Grooms signed John Brown as an amateur free agent. (Date given is approximate. Exact date is uncertain.)

  The Louisville Colonels released Win Clark. (Date given is approximate. Exact date is uncertain.)

  The Brooklyn Grooms released Dan Daub. (Date given is approximate. Exact date is uncertain.)

  The Louisville Colonels released Roy Evans. (Date given is approximate. Exact date is uncertain.)

  The Brooklyn Grooms released Sadie McMahon. (Date given is approximate. Exact date is uncertain.)

• July 22, 1897

  The Chicago Colts released Jim Korwan.

• July 25, 1897

  (Date given is approximate. Exact date is uncertain.)

• July 29, 1897

  The New York Giants purchased Jim Donnelly from the Pittsburgh Pirates. (Date given is approximate. Exact date is uncertain.)

• July 30, 1897

  The Louisville Colonels released Ollie Pickering.

• August, 1897

  The Baltimore Orioles purchased Frank Kitson from Burlington (Western Association) for $1,000.

  The Brooklyn Grooms purchased Jimmy Sheckard from Brockton (New England). (Date given is approximate. Exact date is uncertain.)

  The Cleveland Spiders released Henry Clarke.

• August 3, 1897

  The Cleveland Spiders signed Ollie Pickering as a free agent.

  The Cleveland Spiders released Fred Cooke.

  The Louisville Colonels released Bert Miller.

• August 4, 1897

  The Louisville Colonels traded Tom McCreery to the New York Giants for Dad Clarke and cash.

• August 5, 1897

  (Date given is approximate. Exact date is uncertain.)

• August 6, 1897

  The Boston purchased Charlie Hickman from New Castle (Interstate).

• August 9, 1897

  The Louisville Colonels purchased William Nance from Galveston (Texas).

• August 10, 1897

  The Washington Senators purchased Roger Bresnahan from Lima (Ohio State).

  The Washington Senators released Les German.

• August 21, 1897

  The Washington Senators released Charlie Abbey.

  The Washington Senators released Silver King.

  The Washington Senators released John O'Brien.

  The Washington Senators released Charlie Reilly.

• August 25, 1897

  The Washington Senators signed Charlie Reilly as a free agent.

  The Louisville Colonels signed Rube Waddell as a free agent.

• August 29, 1897

  The Philadelphia Phillies purchased Gus Klopf (minors), Tom Hess and Tully Sparks from Galveston (Texas) for $450. (Date given is approximate. Exact date is uncertain.)

• August 31, 1897

  The Philadelphia Phillies purchased Bob Becker from Montreal (Eastern). (Date given is approximate. Exact date is uncertain.)

  (Date given is approximate. Exact date is uncertain.)

• September, 1897

  The Cleveland Spiders purchased Cowboy Jones from Milwaukee (Western). (Date given is approximate. Exact date is uncertain.)

  The Philadelphia Phillies purchased Kohly Miller from New Castle (Interstate).

• September 2, 1897

  The Philadelphia Phillies signed Ed Abbaticchio as a free agent.

• September 8, 1897

  The Philadelphia Phillies purchased Kid Elberfeld from Richmond (Atlantic).

• September 15, 1897

  The Pittsburgh Pirates purchased Sam Leever from Richmond (Atlantic).

• September 22, 1897

  The Washington Senators purchased Bill Dinneen from Toronto (Eastern).

  The Brooklyn Grooms purchased Ralph Miller from Fall River (New England).

  The Brooklyn Grooms purchased Jack Ryan from Syracuse (Eastern).

  The Washington Senators purchased Dan McGann, Bob McHale, Cooney Snyder and Butts Wagner from Toronto (Eastern) for $8,500.

  The Brooklyn Grooms purchased Joe Yeager from Lancaster (Atlantic).

  The Washington Senators released Billy Lush.

  The Washington Senators released Effie Norton.

• October, 1897

  The Philadelphia Phillies drafted Elmer Flick from Dayton (Interstate) in the 1897 rule 5 draft.

  The Philadelphia Phillies drafted Wiley Piatt from Dayton (Interstate) in the 1897 rule 5 draft.

  The St. Louis Browns purchased Jack Crooks from Columbus (Western).

  The St. Louis Browns purchased Pete Daniels from Columbus (Western).

  The Pittsburgh Pirates purchased John Ganzel from Grand Rapids (Western).

  The Cincinnati Reds purchased Harry Steinfeldt from Detroit (Western). (Date given is approximate. Exact date is uncertain.)

• October 1, 1897

  The Washington Senators drafted Bill Donovan from Waterbury (Connecticut State) in the 1897 rule 5 draft.

  The Boston drafted Bill Keister from Paterson (Atlantic) in the 1897 rule 5 draft.

  The Chicago Colts drafted Walt Woods from Springfield (Eastern) in the 1897 rule 5 draft.

• November, 1897

  The Louisville Colonels sent Rube Waddell to Detroit (Western) as part of a conditional deal.

• November 10, 1897

  The Philadelphia Phillies traded Jack Clements, Lave Cross, Tommy Dowd, Jack Taylor and $1,000 to the St. Louis Browns for Monte Cross, Red Donahue and Klondike Douglass.

  The Cincinnati Reds traded Bill Gray, Jack McCarthy, Billy Rhines, Pop Schriver and Ace Stewart to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Pink Hawley, Elmer Smith and $1,500.

• November 11, 1897

  The New York Giants traded Jim Donnelly, Ducky Holmes and $3,500 to the St. Louis Browns for Mike Grady and Fred Hartman.

• November 12, 1897

  The Brooklyn Grooms traded George Shoch and $1,000 to the St. Louis Browns for Bill Hallman.

• December 7, 1897

  The Pittsburgh Pirates traded Joe Sugden to the St. Louis Browns for Morgan Murphy.

• December 10, 1897

  The Baltimore Orioles traded Doc Amole, Jack Doyle and Henry Reitz to the Washington Senators for Gene DeMontreville, Dan McGann and James McJames.

• December 21, 1897

  The Pittsburgh Pirates traded Jim Hughey and $1,800 to the St. Louis Browns for Bill Hart.

• Before 1898 Season

  The Boston signed Kitty Bransfield as a free agent.

  The Chicago Orphans signed Frank Chance as a free agent.

• February 3, 1898

  The Cincinnati Reds traded Red Ehret, Billy Hoy and Claude Ritchey to the Louisville Colonels for Bill Hill.

• March 5, 1898

  The Brooklyn Grooms purchased Tommy Tucker from the Washington Senators for $800.