On October 19, 1949, the White Sox traded Tipton to the Philadelphia Athletics for Nellie Fox. Fox played 14 years for the White Sox and went on to become a Hall of Famer, and as a result the trade is considered one of the most lopsided in baseball history. During spring training for the Athletics, Tipton battled Mike Guerra and Joe Astroth for the starting job at catcher. All three ended up splitting time over the course of the season. Tipton finished the year hitting .266 with six home runs and 20 RBIs in 64 games.