Very early in the season, the Reds traded catcher Val Picinich to the Brooklyn Robins in exchange for pitcher Rube Ehrhardt and catcher Johnny Gooch. Ehrhardt had a 1-3 record with a 4.67 ERA in 28 games during the 1928 season with Brooklyn. In his five years with Brooklyn, Ehrhardt had a 21-32 record with a 4.10 ERA in 169 games, twice leading the NL in games finished in both 1926 and 1927. Gooch split the 1928 season between the Robins and Pittsburgh Pirates, batting .282 with 17 RBI in 73 games.