Okay, so this has nothing to do with the major league trade market, but it’s a slow morning, and it’s kind of entertaining. John Odom was the 44th round pick of the San Francisco Giants in 2003. After three unimpressive seasons — which seem to involve some injury — he was released this spring. He latched on with the Calgary Vipers, and independent league team. And then he was traded to the Laredo Broncos for 10 Prairie Sticks Maple Bats.
The story actually isn’t that straight foward, though. Canada wouldn’t let him into the country because of a criminal record. He was in a fight as a 17-year-old, and thought the matter was expunged. So instead of continuing to work to get Odom across the border, the Vipers shipped him to Laredo
The real sting is that the original deal involved "Laredo’s best hitter," but the hitter refused to move to Canada. Things run a bit differently in the independent leagues. And so the bats deal was concocted. Still, it would have been much more entertaining if a bag of balls had been at stake.
Posted by Joe Pawlikowski, who writes for River Ave. Blues, a Yankees blog, and can be reached here.
