Giants shortstop Edgar Renteria went from World Series hero to disgruntled backup and signed with the Reds on this day in béisbol, January 10, 2011 after feeling “a total disrespect” from the San Fran front office. A two-time Gold Glove winner with pop and speed, the Baranquilla, Colombia native was the Giants’ backup shortstop in 2010 when San Francisco beat the Texas Rangers in the World Series. The veteran infielder only hit 3 homers with 22 RBI in 72 games, but had a torrid postseason as the starting shortstop. He was named the fall classic’s MVP after hitting .412 with

After two seasons away from Texas, outfielder Juan Gonzalez signs a two-year, $24 million contract to return to the Rangers on this day in béisbol, January 8, 2002. Gonzalez, 33, had spent the first 11 seasons of his 17-year career with Texas, where he slammed 39 or more homers six times from 1991 to 1999. He was a two-time MVP and won five Silver Slugger awards (plus another in Cleveland). He was the biggest bopper on powerhouse Rangers teams of the ‘90s that included Rafael Palmiero, Ivan Rodriguez, Jose Canseco, and Will Clark, and set the franchise record for homers,

The New York Mets traded for one of the best shortstops in the game on this day in béisbol, January 7, 2021, acquiring Francisco Lindor in a six-player deal with Cleveland. Lindor, just 27 and due to hit free agency at the end of the 2021 season, instantly solidified a mostly home-grown core of young players that included slugging first baseman Pete Alonso, outfielders Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil and two-time Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom, and gave new deep-pockets owner Steve Cohen a franchise, five-tool player to build around. A speedy, switch-hitting Gold Glover with 30-homer power, Lindor inked

Looking to add some badly needed thump to their lineup, the Yankees signed slugging outfielder Danny Tartabull to a five-year, $25 million contract on this day in béisbol, January 6, 1992. New York was coming off three straight losing years when they added Tartabull, who was coming off an all-star season with the Kansas City Royals with 31 homers, 100 RBI and a .316.397/.593 slash line. Tartabull, 29, son of former major leaguer Jose Tartabull, hit 25 home runs with 85 RBI in an injury-shortened first year in New York. Already known as a clubhouse malcontent, he soon wore out

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

A New Year’s Eve celebration turned into a tragedy involving Orioles closer Alfredo Simon, who surrendered to Dominican Republic police on this day in béisbol, January 3, 2011 for allegedly shooting a man dead and wounding another. Simon, 29, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and faced prison time after he he told cops he fired a gun into the air at midnight to ring in the new year. Bullets struck and killed a 25-year-old local man and wounded his 17-year old cousin when they descended, according to reports. The Santiago, D.R., native initially fled the scene but turned himself in

Months before making his MLB debut, centerfielder Luis Robert Jr. signed a $50 million, six-year contract with the Chicago White Sox on this day in béisbol, January 2, 2020. Chicago had taken the same risk on rookie outfielder Eloy Jimenez the previous year, signing the Dominican prospect to a six-year, $43 million contract that immediately paid off when the rookie slammed 31 homers. But serious injuries including a pectoral tendon rupture and a hamstring tear limited Jimenez’s playing time. Robert, a 22-year-old Cuban import, showed plenty of promise after playing just 56 games in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He hit

Long before Shohei Ohtani amazed the baseball universe with his two-way prowess as a hitter and pitcher, there was Martin Dihigo, whose exploits on the field were overshadowed by another two-way superstar named Babe Ruth. A Black Cuban who starred in the Negro Leagues and Latin American and Caribbean winter leagues from the 1920s to the ‘40s, Dihigo was also a player-manager for the New York Cubans of the Negro Leagues. On this day in béisbol, January 1, 1929, Dihigo was in the news for his role in a losing cause. Playing for Havana in the Cuban League, he was