Lefthander Dave Roberts dies of lung cancer in Morgantown, WV at age 64. Roberts pitched for four seasons (1972-1975) with the Astros as part of a 13-year big league career. His best season with Houston is 1973 when he tosses a 17-11 record with a 2.85 ERA.
On January 9, 2007, Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. are elected to the Hall of Fame with the seventh and third highest voting percentages in history, respectively. Ripken is named on 537 of 545 ballots, and Gwynn receives 532 votes.
2005 – Center fielder Carlos Beltran becomes the tenth $100 million player in major league history as the 27-year-old native of Puerto Rico agrees to a seven-year deal for $119 million with the New York Mets. The five-tool player, who had his market value increase in the postseason by helping the Houston Astros come within a win of the first World Series appearance in franchise history, goes to New York after Houston refuses to include a no-trade clause in their very attractive monetary offer to keep him on the club.
Congressman John Conyers, Jr. of Michigan says Bud Selig should resign because he appeared to violate major league rules in a 1995 loan from a company controlled by the owner of the Minnesota Twins. Conyers, the House Judiciary Committee’s ranking Democrat says the loan created an “irreparable conflict of interest” for Selig in his plan to fold two franchises, a proposal that most likely would include the Twins.” Selig rejects the suggestion saying, “The suggestions made in your letter are wholly unacceptable.”
Postseason spark plug Craig Counsell signs a three-year, $7.25 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Cut by the Dodgers in 2000, the NLCS MVP played the infield in 141 games for the 2001 World Series champion Diamondbacks.
Signing a $27 million deal with the Houston Astros, Billy Wagner becomes one of the major leagues’ highest-paid relief pitchers. Wagner will get $8 million in each of the next three seasons with a $9 million club option for 2005 with a $3 million buyout clause.
Free agent signings include outfielder Juan Gonzalez by the Cleveland Indians, and catcher Kelly Stinnett and infielder Wilton Guerrero by the Cincinnati Reds.
The Expos agree to a one-year contract with RDS and TSN to telecast 55 games (46 on RDS, 12 on TSN, and three on both) this year. The approximately $2 million pact with French-language Reseau des Sports ends the year-long local television blackout which resulted in the departure of Dave Van Horne, a respected play-by-play announcer, and the loss of the team’s primary sponsor, Labatt Brewery, which cited the lack of local TV rights as a factor in ending its 15-year relationship with the club.
The Indians, to fill the void created by Manny Ramirez’s departure to Boston, sign Juan Gonzalez to a one-year, $10-million deal. The two-time American League MVP leaves the Tigers after hitting .289 with only 67 RBIs in a disappointing injury-plagued season, after turning down a $143 million, eight-year contract extension stay in Detroit last year.
The Chicago White Sox announce that pitcher Bill Simas will miss the entire season following ligament replacement surgery on his elbow last month.
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