Babe Ruth Contract Sending Legend from Red Sox to Yankees Put Up for Auction

The December 1919 sales contract that sent Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees is set to go up for auction.

On Tuesday, ESPN.com's Darren Rovell reported the original copy once possessed by former Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert is the contract that will be up for bid, according to Josh Evans of auctioneer Lelands.

Evans added the copy once belonging to Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold for $996,000 in 2005.

Per Rovell, Evans bought both copies in the early 1990s and sold Ruppert's copy to a buyer for $150,000. That collector is now selling it after previously turning down an offer of $5 million.

The contract is famous because of its link to the "Curse of the Bambino."

Boston won the World Series in 1918 but had to wait until 2004 before winning it again.

Conversely, the Yanks have won 27 World Series titles since acquiring Ruth and gone on to become the winningest franchise in major American sports.

Per Rovell, in the contract up for auction, "Frazee famously sold Ruth to the Yankees for $100,000. Frazee also received a $300,000 loan from the Yankees to seal the deal."

Ruth was primarily a pitcher with Boston, but he developed into an all-time great slugger with the Yankees and is third on the career home run list with 714.

The Bambino won the World Series on seven occasions in his career and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame's inaugural class in 1936.