THIS DAY IN BÉISBOL January 4: Red Sox sign Adrian Beltre for 1 year, $9M to replace injured Mike Lowell

The Red Sox signed future Hall of Fame third baseman Adrian Beltre to a one-year deal worth $9 million on this day in béisbol, January 4, 2010, as an expensive insurance policy for ailing 3B Mike Lowell.

It proved to be money well spent. Beltre, 31, won the AL Silver Slugger Award with 28 homers, 102 RBI, and a .331 average, and led MLB with 49 doubles as the every day third baseman in his one season with Boston.

Lowell, who was battling multiple maladies since the previous season including a bad hip and a torn right thumb ligament, made it back to the Red Sox lineup for 73 games in 2010 — as a first baseman, replacing injured incumbent Kevin Youklis.

The 36-year-old Lowell, born in Puerto Rico to Cuban parents and raised in Florida, hit just .239 with 5 home runs and retired at the end of the season. Over a solid 13-year career, he hit 223 homers and won World Series with the Marlins in 2003 and Red Sox in 2007.

Also on this day: Two top Toronto Blue Jays stars were hurt on the same day in 1998, costing each significant down time.

Catcher Benito Santiago, 33, smashed his Ferrari into a tree in Fort Lauderdale and missed nearly the entire season recuperating from a broken pelvis and other injuries.

Meanwhile, first baseman Carlos Delgado, 26, hurt his shoulder diving for a ball in a winter league game in Puerto Rico and was on the disabled list until late April. He recovered and enjoyed an excellent year, mashing 38 homers with 115 RBI in 142 games.

Googie man, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons