McCoy was the prize among 91 Detroit farmhands set free by Commissioner Landis in 1939. He had just been sent to the Philadelphia A’s in a trade for star outfielder Wally Moses, angering Detroit fans who believed McCoy, a Michigan native, belonged on their team. With the deal canceled, ten teams bid for McCoy. Connie Mack paid him an announced $45,000 bonus to sign with the A’s and gave him a two-year contract at $10,000 a season. McCoy played in 1940 and 1941, spent the next four years in the Navy, and his baseball career ended.
