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This Day in Baseball History
December 14th

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31 Fact(s) Found
1948 The Senators trade pitcher Early Wynn and first baseman Mickey Vernon to the Indians for first baseman Eddie Robinson and pitchers Joe Haynes and Eddie Klieman. Wynn will be a four-time twenty-game winner during his ten years with the Tribe.
1948 The Phillies have a busy day when they purchase Ken Trinkle from the Giants and trade pitchers Walter Dubiel and Dutch Leonard to the Cubs for first baseman Eddie Waitkus and pitcher Hank Borowy. Ruth Ann Steinhagen, a female fan obsessed with former Cub corner infielder, is distraught by the trade and will try to kill him when he returns to Chicago with his new team.
1950 The owners choose Lou Perini (Braves), Phil Wrigley (Cubs), Del Webb (Yankees), and Ellis Ryan (Indians) to select a new commissioner as soon as possible. Three days ago, the group did not renew Happy Chandler's contract to serve a second term as baseball's leader in a close vote, 9-7.
1960 The two new American League franchises, the first expansion teams in over half a century, select their rosters in a player draft. The 'new' Washington Senators choose Yankee southpaw Bobby Shantz, and the Los Angeles Angels opt for Yankee righty Eli Grba.
1977 The Red Sox Fergie Jenkins, a future Hall-of-Famer, to the Rangers for a 23-year-old pitcher named John Poloni, who will never play in another big-league game. In his second stints with the Rangers and the Cubs, the Canadian right-hander will post a 69-56 record with a 3.71 ERA during the remaining six years of his career.
1985 Former Indian, A's Yankee, and Cardinal outfielder Roger Maris dies in a Houston hospital after a two-year battle with lymphatic cancer. Former teammates Whitey Ford, Mickey Mantle, John Blanchard, Bill Skowron, Whitey Herzog, and Bob Allison will be pallbearers for the one-time single-season home run record holder.
1994 In the face of labor uncertainty, the Phillies irk other owners by signing free-agent Gregg Jefferies to a lucrative four-year deal, reportedly worth $20 million. The Cardinals had refused to give the All-Star first baseman/outfielder a no-trade clause in their negotiations to keep him with the Redbirds.
1995 Free agent Lance Johnson agrees to a two-year pact with the Mets reportedly worth more than five million dollars. Ol' One-Dog, who led the American League in hits last season with 186 playing with the White Sox, will repeat the feat in his first season in the Senior Circuit with 227 hits.
2000 In the wake of the Alex Rodriguez deal, the Rangers send Royce Clayton to the White Sox for right-handed pitchers Aaron Myette and Brian Schmack. The former Texas shortstop displaced by the team's acquisition of A-Rod will bat .258 during his two-year tenure on the South Side of the Windy City.
2000 The Cardinals trade third baseman Fernando Tatis and right-hander Britt Reames to the Expos for right-handed starter Dustin Hermanson and left-hander closer Steve Kline. The Redbirds' new southpaw reliever will appear in over half of the team's games next season, posting a 3-3 record and nine saves in his league-leading 89 trips to the mound.
2001 The A's, needing to fill the void of a left-handed power hitter created by Jason Giambi's departure to the Yankees, trade southpaw reliever Mark Guthrie and minor league right-hander Tyler Yates to the Mets for David Justice. A week ago, the Mets acquired the designated hitter-outfielder in a deal that sent third baseman Robin Ventura to the Yankees.
2004 The District of Columbia Council's decision requiring private financing for at least fifty percent of the Nationals' new ballpark construction costs may jeopardize the team's tenure in Washington, DC. The 7-6 vote in favor of this new proviso breaks Major League Baseball's agreement with the city to land the former Montreal Expos franchise in the nation's capital.
2005 The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control informs Major League Baseball of its decision to withhold the required permit for Cuba to play on U.S. soil during the 16-team World Baseball Classic tournament. In response to a congressional request, the Bush administration is concerned that revenue from the WBC will wind up in the Cuban government's coffers, contrary to the current embargo against Castro's country.
2007 The Diamondbacks enjoy a busy day, acquiring All-Star hurler Dan Haren (15-9, 3.07) and right-hander Connor Robertson from the A's in exchange for Brett Anderson, Dana Eveland, Greg Smith, Chris Carter, Aaron Cunningham, and Carlos Gonzalez. Arizona deals Jose Valverde, the major league saves leader, to the Astros to get reliever Chad Qualls, second baseman/outfielder Chris Burke, and righty Juan Gutierrez in a separate transaction.
2007 To bolster their bullpen, the Rangers sign Japanese reliever Kazuo Fukumori to a two-year, $3 million contract, including a team option for 2010. In his 13 seasons in Japan, Kaz compiled a 34-42 won-lost record and 72 saves while posting a 3.72 ERA in 377 games.
2007 The Cardinals agree in principle to a deal that sends 37-year-old Jim Edmonds and approximately $1 million to the Padres in exchange for minor league prospect David Freese. After talks earlier in the day broke off with Mike Cameron, a free agent who played centerfield for San Diego last season, the team accelerated their search to find a replacement.
2007 David Eckstein (.309, 3, 31) and the Blue Jays finalized a one-year, $4.5 million deal, which brings the short-statured shortstop north of the border. The 32-year-old All-Star infielder's leadership and attitude played an important role on his previous two teams, the Angels and Cardinals, in winning the World Series in 2002 and 2006, respectively.
2007 The Rangers invite Edgardo Alfonzo, a career .284 hitter, to spring training. The 34-year-old former All-Star infielder, formerly with the Mets, Giants, Angels, and Blue Jays, spent last season in the independent Atlantic League playing with the Long Island Ducks.
2007 To fill the void created by Delmon Young's trade to the Twins, the Rays sign Cliff Floyd (.284, 9, 45) to a $3 million, one-year deal to play right field in Tampa Bay. The veteran 35-year-old left-handed fly chaser has been a productive hitter during his 15-year major league career but has had difficulty staying off the disabled list.
2007 The Twins sign another former Astros infielder, acquiring Mike Lamb ($6.6 million, two years) after getting Adam Everett yesterday ($2.8 million, one year) in the free-agent market. Lamb will provide much-needed offense at third base, and Everett, although a light-hitter, is a slick-fielding shortstop who will add to the club defensively.
2007 The Royals trade hurler Billy Buckner to the Diamondbacks for switch-hitter Alberto Callaspo. Kansas City's new player is an infielder, who appeared in 56 games for the NL West champs, mostly in a pinch-hitting role, and Arizona receives a pitcher who compiled a 1-2 record with a 5.29 ERA in 34 innings of work last season.
2009 Randy Wolf and the Brewers finalize their $29.75 million, three-year deal. The 33-year-old southpaw signed a $5 million, one-year free-agent contract with the Dodgers last season, posting an 11-7 record with a 3.23 ERA with L.A. after the Astros pulled a $27 million, three-year offer off the table due to the nosedive in the economy.
2010 After being dealt in the off-season last December, Cliff Lee returns to the Phillies, joining National League Cy Young winner Roy Halladay, the key person in the deal that sent him to Seattle as part of a four-team, nine-player trade. The 32-year-old free-agent right-hander, who will be joining unquestionably the best starting rotation in baseball, agrees to a deal that guarantees him $120 million over the next five seasons, spurning the Yankees' offer of $30 million more.
2011 The Red Sox, hoping to fill the void after losing closer Jonathan Papelbon to free agency, obtained Mark Melancon, who had 20 saves during his first full major league season, from the Astros in exchange for infielder Jed Lowrie and right-hander Kyle Weiland. Boston signs free-agent utility infielder Nick Punto to a two-year contract to replace Lowrie in a separate transaction.
2011 The Orioles announce the signing of Japanese left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada to a two-year, $8.15 million deal with a $5 million option for 2014. Baltimore hasn't determined the role of the 30-year-old Japanese hurler on the team but is counting on the hard-throwing southpaw to be a major upgrade to the O's woeful pitching staff.
2012 Kevin Youkilis, best known for being a member of the Red Sox World Championship teams in 2004 and 2007, signs a one-year, $12 million deal with the Yankees, once considered the 'Evil Empire' by his former club. The 33-year-old infielder, who was traded to Chicago's south side by Boston in June, will help fill the void at third base while Alex Rodriguez recuperates from hip surgery.
2013 After inking Curtis Granderson to a four-year, $60 million contract earlier in the week, the Mets sign Bartolo Colon to a two-year, $20 million free-agent pact. The 40-year-old All-Star right-handed starter, slated to replace the innings the team will need as Matt Harvey recovers from Tommy John surgery, compiled an 18-6 record and a 2.65 ERA in 30 starts for the A's last season.
2013 Former Expo outfielder/first baseman Warren Cromartie shares a $400,000 feasibility study that reveals the return of baseball to Montreal would be viable if a team plays its home games in a government-financed downtown stadium with an owner with deep pockets. The report suggests that MLB's national television deal and revenue-sharing scheme, which has changed radically since the franchise moved to Washington in 2004, would ensure a competitive $75-million payroll before a single ticket is sold, with the government subsidy repaid within eight years.
2014

"Mr. Rose has not presented credible evidence of a reconfigured life either by an honest acceptance by him of his wrongdoing, so clearly established by the Dowd Report, or by a rigorous, self-aware and sustained program of avoidance by him of the circumstances that led to his permanent eligibility in 1989. Absent such credible evidence, allowing him to work in the game presents an unacceptable risk of a future violation by him of Rule 21, and thus to the integrity of our sport. I, therefore, must reject Mr. Rose's application for reinstatement."- COMMISSIONER MANFRED, stating his case for the denial of Pete Rose's reinstatement.

In one of his first major actions since becoming commissioner, Rob Manfred denies Pete Rose's application for reinstatement to baseball, citing that a reversal of the lifetime ban would risk the sport's integrity. The four-page decision concludes the career hits leader had continued to gamble legally on horse racing and professional sports, including baseball, disregarding all the circumstances that led to his permanent ineligibility in 1989.

2020 The Cleveland club of the American League has decided to drop Indians as their name, according to team owner Paul Dolan, who announced the change after discussions with fans, business leaders, players, social activists, and researchers. Unlike the Washington NFL football team, formerly known as the Redskins, the baseball franchise will not adopt an interim moniker awaiting the new team's identity.
2022 Carlos Correa signs the second biggest free-agent contract in major league history, agreeing to terms with the Giants on a 13-year, $350 million contract to play for the team until he is 40. The 28-year-old shortstop is a lifetime .279 hitter, averaging 28 home runs during his eight years playing for the Astros and Twins.
31 Fact(s) Found