BB On this Date ~ Events & Birthdays #2

2000 At a Coors Field press conference, the Rockies announce the signing of free-agent starting pitcher Mike Hampton to the richest contract in baseball history, a $121 million, eight-year deal. The southpaw compiles a 21-28 record during his two-year tenure with Colorado before going to the Braves in 2003.

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2003 Kazuo Matsui, a Japanese seven-time All-Star shortstop, agrees to a three-year $20.1-million deal with the Mets. Twenty-eight-year-old 'Little' Matsui hit .305 with 33 home runs while driving in 84 runs last season with the Seibu Lions.

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2007 Milton Bradley reaches a preliminary agreement with the Rangers on a $5+ million, one-year contract. The former free-agent Padres outfielder will be a designated hitter when not chasing fly balls.

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2008 Tony Kubek, the 1957 American League Rookie of the Year, becomes the first analyst to receive the Ford C. Frick Award, an honor reserved for broadcasters by the Hall of Fame. Known for his outstanding work on the NBC Game of the Week telecasts, the former Yankee and Blue Jay broadcaster has not watched a single baseball game on television since he signed off the air in 1994.

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2009 Andy Pettitte (14-8, 4.16) agrees to an $11.75 million, one-year deal to return to the Yankees next season. The 37-year-old southpaw played a vital role in helping the team capture its 27th World Championship, going 4-0 in his five postseason starts, including victories in the clincher in all three postseason rounds against the Twins, Angels, and Phillies.

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2009 The Astros trade minor league prospects right-hander Robert Bono, infielder Luis Bryan, and a player to be named later to the Marlins in exchange for Matt Lindstrom, who recorded 15 of 17 save opportunities last season. Houston hopes the 29-year-old right-handed hard-throwing reliever, with his 100-mph fastball, can help fill the role of a late-inning stopper in their bullpen.

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2009 In budget mode, the Rangers deal starting pitcher Kevin Millwood (13-10, 3.67), who signed a five-year, $60 million contract in 2005, to the Orioles for reliever Chris Ray and a player to be named later (Ben Snyder). Then, to restock their rotation, Texas reaches a preliminary agreement for less money with free-agent Rich Harden, who posted a 9-9 record with the Cubs last season.

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2010 The Cubs sign former Tampa Bay slugger free agent Carlos Pena to a $10 million, one-year deal after he turned down several multi-year offers from other clubs. The client of agent Scott Boras is optimistic about having a big season in Chicago, leading to a long-term contract for similar money made by fellow first basemen Ryan Howard ($125 million/5 years) and Mark Teixeira ($180 million/8 years).

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2013 The Mets sign Curtis Granderson to a four-year, $60 million contract, the team's richest free-agent deal since Sandy Alderson became the GM in 2010. The 32-year-old outfielder, who hit 84 homers in two seasons for the Yankees before being limited to 61 games last year due to injuries, is expected to provide some much-needed power for the team ranked 25th in the long ball in 2013.

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2013 At the start of the annual Winter Meetings, Hall of Fame chairman Jane Forbes Clark announces the induction of managers Bobby Cox, Joe Torre, and Tony LaRussa into Cooperstown next summer. The trio of skippers, who have accumulated 7,558 regular-season wins, 17 pennants, and eight World Series titles, was elected unanimously by the 16-member Expansion Era Committee.

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2013 After signing a ceremonial one-day contract to be a Blue Jay, the big league team that drafted him out of high school in the first round of the 1995 amateur draft, Roy Halladay announces his retirement, ending a 16-year career that included the last four seasons with the Phillies. During his dozen years in Toronto, the six-time American League All-Star right-hander compiled a 148-76 record and a 3.43 ERA.

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2015 Major League Baseball issues a recommendation for all its 30 teams to install netting to protect their fans sitting in front of the most exposed field-level seats. The suggested protective shield, which would extend from one dugout to the other, will be implemented by most clubs before opening day, with the Mets, Pirates, and Twins already in compliance, having netting down the first and third base foul lines.

2019 The Nationals and Stephen Strasburg agree to terms on a record-breaking seven-year contract worth $245 million, keeping the free agent with Washington until 2026. The reigning World Series MVP deal marks the richest ever signed by a pitcher, topping southpaw David Price's $217 million signing in 2015 with the Red Sox.

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