Robinson Cano was five seasons into his 10-year, $240,000,000 contract when the Seattle Mariners’ second baseman was traded to the Mets in a salary dump deal that had closer Edwin Diaz also going to New York on this day in béisbol, December 3, 2018. Cano, 35, had some enjoyed some good years in Seattle after putting up Hall of Fame-worthy numbers in nine years with the Yankees, but he was suspended 80 games for PED use in the middle of the 2018 season. The Mariners front office was looking for some salary relief and included him with Diaz in a

Keith Hernandez was a batting champion, an NL MVP, a clubhouse leader, and a two-time World Series winner with the Cardinals and Mets during his 17-year career. But while he wasn’t a traditional slugging first baseman — he never hit more than 16 homers in a season, and only had more than 100 RBI once — it was his elite defense that made him a star. On this day in béisbol, December 2, the 24-year-old St. Louis first-sacker won the first of his 11 Gold Gloves, the sixth-best in MLB history for position players (Orioles third baseman Brooks Robinson leads

After six years in the majors, Giants outfielder Matty Alou had long shown he was hardly the hitter his older brother Felipe was. So when Matty was traded to the Pirates on this day in béisbol, December 1, 1965, for a losing pitcher and a weak-hitting infielder, Pittsburgh was hardly expecting the deal to turn out to be a steal. But Matty Alou, a 25-year-old platoon player and lifetime .260 hitter to that point, paid instant dividends. In his first full season with the Bucs, he won the National League batting title with a .342 average. It was the first

Miguel Tejada was at the tail end of his controversial career when the former AL MVP shortstop signed a one-year deal with the San Francisco Giants on this day in béisbol, November 30, 2010. The Dominican native was arguably the best-hitting shortstop in the American League during his heyday, averaging 29 homers, 118 RBI and a .297 average during his prime years of 2000 to 2006 with the Athletics and the Orioles. Tejada’s later years were marred by injuries and multiple allegations of performance enhancing drug use that were never proven, though he served a one-year probation for lying to

Yoenis Cespedes was coming off an all-star season with the Mets in 2016 when he re-signed with the team on for four more years in a $110 million deal on this day in béisbol, November 29. An international free agent from Cuba, Cespedes was with his fourth team in four years when he was traded to New York in the middle of the 2015 season from the Detroit Tigers. The flashy, outgoing outfielder who loved to show off his throwing arm — and fleet of fancy cars — quickly became a fan favorite, helping New York win the NL pennant

White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu spent nine productive seasons in Chicago before signing a three-year, nearly $60 million contract with the Astros on this day in béisbol, November 28, 2022. Abreu, then 35, was one of the first international free agents from Cuba who flooded MLB, especially the White Sox, in recent years, joining fellow Cuban imports Yasmani Grandal, Yoan Moncada and Luis Robert Jr. Abreu was a 27-year-old Rookie of the Year in 2014 and was named the American League MVP in the strike-shortened 2020 season, with an MLB-best 60 RBI in 60 games played with 19 homers

Jose Canseco wasn’t yet an official “Bash Brother” — or an MLB pariah for publicly outing a large number of players of taking performance enhancing drugs. On this day in béisbol, November 25, 1986 the controversial Oakland A’s outfielder made news for his actions on the field by winning the AL Rookie of the Year award. Canseco, 22, swatted 33 home runs and drove in 117 runs, making A’s fans salivate at the thought of pairing him with slugger Mark McGwire, the hulking minor league first baseman expected to make the big club in 1987. Canseco and McGwire — who

Slugger Carlos Lee became the highest paid player in Astros history when he signed a six-year, $100 million deal on this day in béisbol, November 24, 2006. Lee, an outfielder-first baseman, spent his first five years with the White Sox, where he averaged more than 25 home runs a year. The Panama native remained a consistent middle-of-the-order force over his five-and-a-half seasons with Houston, averaging 25 homers and 100 RBI. He retired after spending the 2012 season with the Miami Marlins with 358 career dingers and 1,363 RBI. Also on this day: Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols won the 2009