On April 25, 1962—before he even played a game for the Indians—Chiti was acquired by the expansion New York Mets for a player to be named later. However, he was sent back to the Indians on June 15, 1962 after 15 games and a .195 batting average. Since Chiti was the “player to be named later,” he thus became the first player ever traded for himself. The only player to be traded for himself since is John McDonald. Chiti never played another major league game, spending two more years at AAA before retiring in 1964.