1943: Nats Trade for Bob Johnson

March 20, 1943 “Indian” Bob Johnson had been with Connie Mack’s Philadelphia A’s since he broke into the league at the age of 27 in 1933. Over the span of 10 seasons, Johnson accumulated some gaudy numbers in Philadelphia. For his career, he was batting .298/.395/.520 with 252 home runs. Johnson’s racked up 78.2 WARP3 during that time span. Prior to spring training in 1943, Johnson announced that he would not return to Philadelphia unless he received a bonus based on last year’s attendance, a clause he thought to be part of his contract. Mack disagreed, claiming that attendance did not rise to the level where the bonus would kick in, so Johnson demanded a trade. On March 21, 1943 Mack sent Johnson to the Washington Nationals in exchange for Bobby Estalella and Jimmy Pofahl; the former a 32-year old starting third baseman, the latter a three-year utility infielder. The Nats had not had a winning season since 1936, and the AL Pennant in 1933 seemed a distant memory after a ...