The Cleveland Indians make a pair of roster moves, selling pitcher Johnny Allen to the St. Louis Browns and trading outfielder Ben Chapman to the Washington Senators for pitcher Joe Krakauskas.

Allen, who had gone 15-1 in 1937 with a 2.55 ERA for the Indians, was swapped for $20,000. He was an All-Star in 1938, going 14-8 for the club before seeing his innings pitched numbers decline substantially over the next two years. He would pitch in the Majors through 1944.

Chapman, who would turn 32 the day after the trade, had spent a pair of seasons manning the Cleveland outfield after playing the previous nine seasons in the American League with New York, Washington, and Boston. He was a four-time All-Star with the Yankees. He would be dealt during the 1941 season to the Chicago White Sox and would also play for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1944 and 1945 and the Philadelphia Phillies in 1945 and 1946. He managed the Phillies during the second half of 1945 through the first half of 1948.

Krakauskas will play a dozen games for the Indians in 1941 and three more in 1942 before leaving for the war as a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force. He will return to baseball with the Indians in 1946, appearing in 29 games in his last big league season before three seasons in the minors with the White Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates.