 To assist at practice for the 1927 season, Krichell signed Billy Werber from Duke University. He left the team after a month, but re-signed after graduating in 1930. During that time, Krichell was involved in what is considered one of the worst deals from the era. Barrow asked him to travel to Durham, North Carolina to negotiate with the Durham Bulls for an outfielder named Dusty Cooke. Neither Krichell nor Barrow had seen Cooke; he was believed to be a great hitter, even though he had hardly played for the Bulls. The Yankees signed him for $ 15,000 ($ 200,000 in 2010), beating the Cleveland Indians' offer of $ 12,500 ($ 160,000 in 2010) and an unnamed player in exchange. Cooke turned out to be an injury-prone backup outfielder, and the Yankees gave up on both Cooke and Werber. After the 1933 season, the two were traded to the Boston Red Sox for cash considerations.
