In a telegram discovered in 2012, White Sox owner Charles Comiskey told scout George Mills that the asking price for pitcher Babe Ruth was too high at $16,000.
At the time, Ruth was playing for the Baltimore Orioles. Comiskey had sent Mills to scout the best Orioles players on June 9. Mills gave Comiskey a list of six players he thought were the best, with Ruth among them. He later revealed that Jack Dunn, the Orioles owner, said Ruth could be had himself for $16,000 cash. In the telegram, Comiskey replied, “Do not need pitchers bad enough to go that high price.