1998 – Veteran reliever Lee Smith and third baseman Terry Pendleton sign minor league contracts with the Kansas City Royals, who invite them to spring training as non-roster players.
Ivan Rodriguez, avoiding salary arbitration, agrees to a contract worth $6.65 million to catch for the Rangers. ‘Pudge’ set the record for most doubles by a catcher with 44 last season, and the All-Star receiver also set the major league mark for at-bats by a backstop, with 639, surpassing Johnny Bench’s 621, established in 1970.
1996 – Ken Griffey, Jr. becomes the highest-paid major league player by signing a four-year, $34 million contract with Seattle.
1993 – A trio of arbitration cases are avoided when three starters are inked to similar three-year deals. Infielders Craig Biggio and Ken Caminiti, along with outfielder Steve Finley now represent a $32 million dollar investment to go with the $36 million spent on deals for pitchers Doug Drabek and Greg Swindell – a pay-out unlikely to have happened before the recent change in ownership.
On January 2, 1992 Free agent pitcher Frank Viola is signed by the Boston Red Sox. A three-time All-Star, Viola guided the Minnesota Twins to the 1987 World Series and won the Cy Young Award in 1988. The southpaw, who will injure his arm and undergo ‘Tommy John’ surgery while in Boston, will…
1991 – Boston Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens signs a four-year $21,521,000 contract extension, making him baseball’s highest-paid player.
November 28, 1989, Rickey signs a four-year $12 Million deal to stay in Oakland, making him the highest-paid player in the game. He lead Oakland to their first World Series title in 1989 since 1973. Henderson will win the MVP Award in 1990, his first and only. @ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90YWdzIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiIiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiIiLCJsaW5rX3RvX3Rlcm1fcGFnZSI6Im9uIiwic2VwYXJhdG9yIjoiIHwgIiwiY2F0ZWdvcnlfdHlwZSI6InBvc3RfdGFnIn19@ [jetpack_subscription_form title=”Join the Community” subscribe_text=”We bring you…
1989 – Free agent outfielder Kirby Puckett re-signs with the Minnesota Twins for $9 million over three years, making him the first major league player ever to sign a contract that calls for an average salary of $3 million per year.
March 2, 1989 Cincinnati Reds owner Marge Schott settles a salary dispute with outfielder Kal Daniels by flipping a coin in the parking lot of the spring training complex on live TV. Daniels wins the toss and collects an extra $25k in 1989. Daniels will be traded to the Dodgers during the season and hit…
On June 21, 1986, Bo Jackson, the former Auburn running back who won the Heisman Trophy last season and was the No. 1 pick in the National Football League draft, signed with the Kansas City Royals today, reportedly shunning a $7 million deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a contract worth less…