This Date In Transactions History

His name is Dan Uggla, and he's celebrating his 31st birthday today.  He was also involved in one of the winter's biggest trades when the Marlins sent him to Atlanta.  Uggla's birthday and his recent appearance on the trade wire combined to inspire the latest edition of This Date In Transactions History…

• Brian Giles cut his comeback bid with the Dodgers short on March 11, 2010 when he announced his retirement due to nagging knee injuries.  You can make a case for Giles as baseball's most underrated player in recent years — he posted a .902 career OPS (.291/.400/.502) over his 15-year career with the Indians, Pirates and Padres.
• The Royals signed David DeJesus to a five-year, $13.8MM contract extension on this day in 2006.  The deal contained a $6MM team option for 2011 that Kansas City exercised a month before dealing DeJesus to Oakland.  DeJesus hit .289/.360/.426 during that contract's lifetime and gave the Royals some well-above average defense, especially in left field.  The Royals got that solid performance plus Vin Mazzaro and Justin Marks from the A's, so K.C. received quite a nice return on that $13.8MM investment.   
• The Yankees released Ruben Rivera under odd circumstances on this day in 2002.  The outfielder was cut during Spring Training for stealing a glove and bat from the locker of teammate Derek Jeter and selling the gear to a sports memorabilia dealer.  Rivera was released after the other Yankee players (including his cousin Mariano) unanimously voted him off the team.  Rivera only had 241 more Major League plate appearances after this incident, though he played for Panama in the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classics.
• Former No. 1 overall amateur draft pick Ben McDonald was dealt from Cleveland to Milwaukee for Mark Watson on March 11, 1998.  Just three months earlier,  McDonald went from the Brewers (along with Ron Villone and Mike Fetters) to the Tribe for a package of Marquis Grissom and Jeff Juden.  McDonald underwent rotator cuff surgery, however, in February 1998 that failed to correct a nagging shoulder problem, so he was sent back to Milwaukee.  McDonald never pitched again, finishing his career with a 3.91 career ERA and a 2.05 career K/BB rate in 211 Major League games. 
• Hall-of-Famer Jim Palmer made his final pitching appearance in an Orioles uniform on this day in 1991.  At age 45, Palmer attempted a comeback and allowed two runs and five hits over two innings in a Spring Training game against Boston.  Palmer announced his final retirement the next day.
• Between 1955 and 1964, Mickey Mantle averaged a 1.057 OPS for the Yankees.  His only "down year" came in 1959 when he hit .285/.390/.514 with 31 homers.  (To give you an idea of how great Mantle was, compare the worst year of his prime to Brian Giles' very good career numbers.)  The Yankees gave Mantle a $7K pay cut when finalizing his next contract on this day in 1960, whittling his pay for the 1960 season to $65K.  The Mick responded by leading the league in homers, total bases, runs and OPS that year.
• On March 11, 1901, Hall-of-Fame manager John McGraw tried to sneak a player under baseball's color line by announcing that his Baltimore Orioles had signed "Charlie Tokohama," allegedly a member of the Cherokee Nation.  Tokohama was actually Charlie Grant, a Negro Leagues star.  McGraw's plot was discovered and Grant was prevented from ever playing in the majors. 

14 years ago, the Arizona Diamondbacks signed an 18-year-old pitcher named Jose Valverde as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic. Before eventually being traded to the Astros, Valverde spent over a decade in the Diamondbacks' organization, culminating in a 2007 season in which he earned his first All-Star berth and received MVP and Cy Young votes. Let's take a look back at some other notable moves that took place on February 6th over the years….

• In 2009, the Dodgers inked Randy Wolf to a one-year deal with a base salary of $5MM. Wolf ended up earning another $3MM in innings bonuses, racking up 214 1/3 IP in a career-high 34 starts. The left-hander parlayed his strong season into a three-year, $29.75MM contract with the Brewers last winter.
• The Rays signed Eric Hinske to a one-year contract worth $800K in 2008, a big step down from Hinske's 2007 salary ($5.625MM). However, the former Rookie of the Year proved to be not only a bargain, but something of a good luck charm, as his 20 homers helped get the Rays to the World Series – it was the second of three consecutive seasons in which the American League champion had Hinske on its roster.
• On February 6th, 2004, Ivan Rodriguez signed what will be the last eight-figure contract of his career, agreeing to a four-year, $40MM deal with the Tigers. While Pudge's offensive production had slipped by the end of the contract, his 2004 campiagn ranks among his best; the backstop hit .334/.383/.510 and earned his 11th Gold Glove.
• In 2003, the Yankees made a big international splash by locking up Cuban defector Jose Contreras to a $32MM deal. Contreras ultimately ended up winning three games in the 2005 postseason en route to a World Series title. Of course, by then he was pitching for the White Sox, who acquired him at 2004's trade deadline for Esteban Loaiza.
• 1998 featured arguably the most eventful February 6th in baseball transactions history, when both New York clubs made major trades on the same day. The Yankees shipped Cristian Guzman, Eric Milton, Danny Mota, Brian Buchanan, and cash to Minnesota in exchange for Chuck Knoblauch. Across town, the Mets acquired Al Leiter and Ralph Millard from the Marlins for A.J. Burnett, Jesus Sanchez, and Rob Stratton. It's hard to argue that either New York team lost their respective deals – besides Burnett, none of the players the Yankees and Mets gave up turned into above-average big league contributors. In New York, Leiter recorded a 3.42 ERA in 1360 career innings for the Mets; meanwhile, though Knoblauch's throwing troubles began in 1999 and he and Jeter weren't quite the legendary double-play combo that people expected, the second baseman's arrival in the Bronx coincided with the start of three straight World Series victories.
• Finally, 1895 easily trumped even 1998 in terms of impact on baseball history. No transactions occurred, but a future icon was born on this day in Baltimore, 116 years ago: Babe Ruth.
• Other players involved in February 6th transactions include Jason Varitek, Bengie Molina, Ellis Burks, Eric Karros, Darren Oliver, Tim Raines, and, way back in 1934, Dazzy Vance.

February 2nd isn't just known for groundhogs looking at their shadows or Bill Murray getting stuck in time warps.  Some notable moves have taken place as well…

• The Blue Jays signed Kevin Gregg one year ago today.  The one-year, $2.75MM contract (with two option years) was seen as a surprising move for the Jays given that they weren't expected to spend money on a closer, but Gregg delivered a solid season at the back of the Toronto bullpen.  Gregg rebuilt enough value to become a Type B free agent, and thus netted the Jays a compensation round draft pick when they declined his options and the right-hander signed with Baltimore.
• On this day in 2009, the Mets signed Oliver Perez to a three-year, $36MM contract that will go down as one of the worst deals in the history of the franchise.  Perez has a 6.81 ERA in 31 games (21 of them starts) over the last two seasons, battling injuries and raising the ire of fans, Mets management and his own teammates when he refused a minor league assignment last year.  
• The Mets made a better pitching transaction the year prior, acquiring Johan Santana from the Twins for a package of four prospects.  Santana signed a new six-year, $137.5MM deal with New York and has delivered a 2.85 ERA and 3.02 K/BB ratio in 88 starts for the team.  Santana's performance dipped a bit last year, however, and he will be out until next summer after undergoing left shoulder surgery.  As for Minnesota, only one of the four prospects they got back for Santana is still with the organization — minor league right-hander Deolis Guerra.  The Twins released Philip Humber and dealt Kevin Mulvey and Carlos Gomez for Jon Rauch and J.J. Hardy, respectively.  Those two players, Rauch especially, played key roles in the Twins' back-to-back AL Central titles.
• Sammy Sosa officially parted ways with the Cubs when he was traded to the Orioles in 2005 in exchange for Mike Fontenot, Jerry Hairston Jr. and Dave Crouthers.  That deal was finalized on this day six years ago, and Sosa proceeded to deliver just a .671 OPS in his lone season with the O's.
• After cracking the 50-homer plateau in 1998, Greg Vaughn was dealt from the NL champion Padres (along with Mark Sweeney) to Cincinnati in exchange for Reggie Sanders, Damian Jackson and Josh Harris on this day in 1999.  Vaughn became the first player in history to be swapped after a 50-homer season, and he followed his big year up with 45 homers for the Reds in 1999 before leaving for free agency and a deal with Tampa Bay.  Sanders had a tremendous 1999 season himself, posting a .904 OPS that actually topped Vaughn (.881 OPS) that year.
• Soon after the St. Louis Browns became the Baltimore Orioles, the franchise released Satchel Paige on this day in 1954.  Paige had a 3.28 ERA over the previous two seasons with the Browns and was coming off two All-Star appearances, but the legendary Negro Leagues star was 47 years old (though Paige's age was always in some dispute).  Paige pitched minor league ball in the Phillies' system from 1956-58, started five games for Portland of the PCL in 1961 and then, incredibly, returned to the majors in 1965 to start one game for the Kansas City A's.  At age 54, Paige pitched three scoreless innings against Boston, holding the Red Sox to one hit.
• Also of note, it was on this day in 1936 that the inaugural Hall of Fame class was announced.  Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Babe Ruth and Honus Wagner were the first five players to be inducted to Cooperstown.

January 15th has been a surprisingly busy day for transactions throughout baseball history, particularly when it comes to trades involving big name players. We already told you about the Lee Stevens deal, but let’s take a look at a few more…

• Two years ago today the Dodgers released Andruw Jones after he agreed to restructure his contract. Jones hit just .158/.256/.249 during the first year of the two-year, $36.2MM contract he signed with LA.
• Eight years ago today the Expos traded Bartolo Colon and a minor leaguer to the White Sox for Rocky Biddle, Orlando Hernandez, Jeff Liefer, and cash. The deal came less than eight months after Montreal traded Stevens, Cliff Lee, Brandon Phillips, and Grady Sizemore to Cleveland for Colon and the other Drew brother, Tim.
• That trade took place immediately after the White Sox acquired El Duque from the Yankees for Antonio Osuna and a minor leaguer.
• One year before the Colon swap, the Dodgers sent Gary Sheffield to the Braves for Brian Jordan, Odalis Perez, and Andrew Brown. Perez had some nice seasons in Los Angeles, but Sheffield was a monster for the Braves. He hit .319/.412/.562 with 64 homers in his two years with the team.
• The Tigers signed Cecil Fielder on this date in 1990. Prince’s father had spent the previous two seasons in Japan, and he came back to MLB with a 51 homer season in 1990 followed by a 44 homer season in 1991.
• The Reds purchased Wally Pipp from the Yankees for $7,500 on this date way back in 1926. Pipp is most famous for being held out of a game in 1925, with his replacement at first base being a 21-year-old rookie named Lou Gehrig. Pipp never got his job back.
• Some other players involved in transactions on this date: Mike Redmond, David Eckstein, John Mabry, Jose Molina, Tim Raines, Juan Uribe, and the late Rod Beck.

Now that everyone has recovered from the holidays, the hot stove action has started to pick up. Let's look back at some of the moves made on this date in years past…

• Last year the Astros signed Brett Myers for one-year and $5.1MM guaranteed. He rewarded them with a 3.14 ERA in 223 2/3 innings, so they rewarded him with two-year, $21MM extension.
• That same day, the Royals inked Scott Podsednik to a one-year, $1.75MM contract. He hit .310/.353/.400 with 29 steals in Kansas City before being traded to the Dodgers for a pair of minor leaguers before the deadline.
• Long-time Padre Trevor Hoffman agreed to a one-year, $6MM contract with the Brewers two years ago. He was fantastic in 2009, pitching to a 1.83 ERA with 37 saves in 54 innings, though 2010 didn't go so well.
• The Angels finalized their one-year, $6MM contract with Shea Hillenbrand on this date back in 2007. Not only did he hit .254/.275/.325 in 204 plate appearances for the Halos, but he also made some disparaging remarks about the team. He was cut that June.
• In 2005, the Indians signed Kevin Millwood to a one-year, $7MM contract. He led the league with a 2.86 ERA in 192 innings, but only had nine wins to show for it. 
• The Tigers acquired Carlos Guillen from the Mariners on this day in 2004, sending Ramon Santiago and a minor leaguer to Seattle. Guillen has hit .299/.369/.480 in seven seasons with Detroit, while Santiago was released (only to re-sign with the Tigers) a year later.
• A three-team trade was completed back in 2001. The A's acquired Johnny Damon, Mark Ellis, and Cory Lidle, while the Royals acquired Angel Berroa, Roberto Hernandez, and A.J. Hinch. Tampa Bay walked away with former Rookie of the Year Ben Grieve. In hindsight, Oakland was the clear winner here.
• Some other players involved in transactions on this date: Rocco Baldelli, Mark Loretta, Doug Mientkiewicz, Braden Looper, Julio Franco, two different Juan Gonzalezes, Harold Baines, Darryl Strawberry, and Rich Aurilia twice.

While New Year's Day historically hasn't featured many transactions, things generally start picking up again by the second day of the year. Here's a look at some of the more notable moves to occur on January 2nd over the years….

• Two interesting signings occurred just one year ago, when the Cubs inked Marlon Byrd to a three-year, $15MM contract and the Giants signed Santiago Casilla to a minor league deal. While Byrd had a successful season for the Cubs and earned his first All-Star berth, Casilla had the more significant impact on the 2010 pennant race. After being called up in May, the right-hander set career bests with a 1.95 ERA over 55 1/3 innings for the World Champions.
• On this day in 2003, the Cubs signed Rod Beck, who was coming off Tommy John surgery at the time. It was an eventful year for Beck; he made national headlines by welcoming fans to drop by his mobile home in Iowa for autographs and free beer. He was eventually traded to San Diego, where he replaced an injured Trevor Hoffman by recording a 1.78 ERA and 20 saves, earning the NL's Comeback Player of the Year award.
• In a pre-Moneyball world, Oakland's signing of Scott Hatteberg on this day in 2002 probably didn't raise many eyebrows. However, Hatteberg enjoyed the best year of his career to date, posting a .374 OBP and 15 homers for the Athletics, and was later immortalized as "Pickin' Machine" in Michael Lewis' book.
• Jamie Moyer was already a well-traveled veteran when the Red Sox signed him on January 2nd, 1996. Boston was Moyer's fifth team, but it was number six that stuck – prior to the trade deadline, the Red Sox sent the left-hander to Seattle, where Moyer spent the next ten years.
• On the same day Moyer signed with Boston, the Reds brought back a key player from their 1990 World Champion squad: Eric Davis. Plagued by injuries, Davis had hit just .227/.317/.368 in 957 plate appearances since leaving Cincinnati. He bounced back nicely in '96 for the Reds though, with 26 home runs and a .917 OPS.
• After earning an All-Star berth for his first half, Frank Viola had a disastrous second half for the Mets in 1991, losing ten games and pitching to a 5.53 ERA following the All-Star break. That ended his stint in New York, resulting in Boston signing him on this day in 1992. Viola's time in Boston was cut short by Tommy John surgery in 1994, but the former Cy Young winner pitched well to that point, with a 3.40 ERA in 70 starts for the Red Sox.

The final day of the calendar year doesn't normally produce much hot stove news, but there have been plenty of moves made on this date throughout the years. Let's look back at some of the more notable ones, including a free agent signing with historic significance…

• One year ago today the Phillies thought they were solidifying their bullpen by signing Danys Baez to a two-year contract worth $5.25MM. They instead received a 5.48 ERA with nearly as many walks (23) as strikeouts (28) in 47 2/3 innings in the first year of the deal.
• Two years ago the Angels signed Brian Fuentes to a two-year, $17.5MM contract. He pitched to a 3.76 ERA in 93 1/3 innings with the Halos before being traded to the Twins last August. The 35-year-old southpaw is said to be seeking a deal on par with the three-year, $15MM contract the Angels gave Scott Downs. 
• That same day, the Indians traded minor league pitchers Jeff Stevens, Chris Archer, and John Gaub to the Cubs for Mark DeRosa. DeRosa hit .270/.342/.457 in 71 games with Cleveland before they traded him to the Cardinals for Chris Perez and Jess Todd.
• The Dodgers signed Fred McGriff to a one-year contract worth $3.75MM back in 2002. The then 39-year-old slugger hit .249/.322/428 with 13 homers in 329 plate appearances that season.
• Former Yankee Ramiro Mendoza signed with the rival Red Sox on the same day McGriff agreed to his deal. Mendoza didn't perform as well in Boston as he did in New York, pitching to a 5.73 ERA in 97 1/3 innings for the Sox.
• One of the most significant contracts in baseball history was signed on New Year's Eve. On this date way back in 1974, Catfish Hunter signed a five-year contract worth $3.75MM with the Yankees, becoming the first star player to change teams via free agency. The deal also made him the highest paid player in baseball history at the time. Hunter posted a 3.58 ERA in 993 innings during his five years with the Yanks.
• Other players involved in transactions on this date include Mark Hendrickson, Aaron Miles, Neifi Perez, Ray Fosse, Sandy Alomar, and Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews.  

Former Tigers GM Bill Lajoie passed away today at the age of 76. In the words of current Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski, Lajoie "played an integral role in building the [1984] Detroit Tigers into a world championship team."

Lajoie had been a a senior advisor for Pirates GM Neal Huntington since 2009, and Huntington calls him a "terrific evaluator of talent, an outstanding baseball man, a tremendous mentor and a better friend.” Along with the Tigers, Pirates and many others in the baseball world, MLBTR extends condolences to Lajoie's family and friends. 

Now here's a look back at some historical transactions that have occurred on this date:

• The Red Sox signed Josh Bard and Brad Penny on this date in 2008. Bard didn't play for the 2009 Red Sox and fans of the team probably wish Penny hadn't either. The right-hander posted a 5.61 ERA in 131 2/3 innings before moving on to San Francisco, where the results were considerably better.
• The Indians signed Fausto Carmona as an amateur free agent ten years ago today. They've paid him $8.87MM for 746 innings of 4.43 ERA ball so far and have him under team control for four more seasons.
• The Tigers traded Luis Gonzalez to the Diamondbacks for Karim Garcia on this date in 1998. Garcia hit 14 homers for the Tigers in 1999 and was out of the organization the next year. Gonzalez hit 26 homers for the D'Backs in 1999 and didn't stop there. He hit 31 long balls in 2000 and 57 more in 2001, leading the D'Backs to their first World Series title.
• The White Sox traded Tim Raines to the Yankees on this date in 1995. Raines was past his prime, but that didn't stop him from hitting .299/.395/.429 in three seasons in New York as the Bronx Bombers won a pair of championships.
• The Indians signed current Rangers manager Ron Washington on this date in 1987. In his last extended taste of playing action, the infielder hit .256/.298/.363 for the Tribe.
• Last, but certainly not least, we take you back to 1994. On this date 16 years ago, the Astros and Padres completed a memorable 12-player trade that MLBTR's Howard Megdal explained in great detail this June.

The day after Christmas hasn't been a busy hot stove day historically, but there have certainly been a few notable deals struck. Let's review…

• On this date last year, the Mets signed Kelvim Escobar to an incentive-laden one-year deal with a $1.25MM base salary. Escobar had missed most of 2009 and all of 2008 due to shoulder surgery, and sure enough he wasn't able to pitch at all in 2010 (not even in Spring Training) due to another surgery.
• The Giants inked Randy Johnson to a one-year deal worth $8MM guaranteed on this day back in 2008. He gave the Giants 96 innings of 4.88 ERA pitching in return, winning his 300th career game along the way.
• The Padres officially signed Kevin Correia to a minor league contract on the same day San Fran signed The Big Unit. He rewarded them in 2009 with 198 innings and a 3.91 ERA.
• Seven years ago today the Indians signed Ronnie Belliard after the Brewers non-tendered him. He spent the next two-and-a-half years in Cleveland, hitting .285/.337/.433 along the way.
• The Orioles acquired David Wells from the Reds for Curtis Goodwin and minor leaguer Trovin Valdez back in 1995. Boomer posted a 5.14 ERA in 224.1 innings during his one year in Baltimore.
• All the way back in 1953, the Milwaukee Braves traded six players and $100K to the Pirates for 26-year-old Danny O'Connell. O'Connell finished his career as a .260/.333/.351 hitter, and the most notable player Pittsburgh received was Sid Gordon, who was near the end of his playing days.
• Some other players involved in transactions on this date: Bob Howry, R.A. Dickey, Mark Prior, Frank Menechino, and Esteban Yan.