On December 16 in Baseball History...

    1922 - The Eastern Colored League (chartered as the Mutual Association of Eastern Colored Baseball Clubs) is formally organized. The league will complete five seasons before folding in midsummer 1928.

    1926 - Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis is given a new seven-year term as commissioner with a raise to $65,000 per annum.

    1938 - The Braves trade catcher Ray Mueller to the Pirates for Al Todd, who will be dealt to Brooklyn in March, and Johnny Dickshot, who will be shipped to the Giants in April. Mueller will play in only 90 games over two seasons for Pittsburgh.

    1953 - In an 11-player trade, the Yankees trade top prospect Vic Power to the Philadelphia A's. The powerful first baseman, who had hoped to be the first black to play for the Yankees, enjoyed three outstanding seasons in the minors, including batting .331 and driving 109 runs for the Newark Bears last season, the team's top farm club.

    1954 - Willie Mays becomes the first player to win the Most Valuable Player Award in his first full year in the majors when he easily outdistances Reds first baseman Ted Kluszewski for the honor. The 23-year-old Giants center fielder made his big league debut at the end of May in 1951, but missed the last two seasons due to his military service in the U.S. Army.

    1975 - Bill Veeck gets back into baseball by heading a group which buys eighty percent of the White Sox from John Allyn. The former owner of the Indians and the Browns will see his new team win their first pennant in 40 years, with 1.4 million fans turning the turnstiles to establish an attendance record for home games.

    1976 - Reds' first baseman Tony Perez and pitcher Will McEnaney are traded to the Expos for pitchers Woody Fryman and Dale Murray

    1976 - Court proceedings in Charlie Finley's $10 million damage suit against Commissioner Bowie Kuhn begins in Chicago. At issue is Kuhn's voiding of Finley's attempted player sales in June. The proceedings will take 15 days, and the decision will take three months.

    1982 - Tom Seaver agrees to a new contract with the Mets, completing a trade that sends him back to New York from Cincinnati. The Reds receive pitcher Charlie Puleo and minor leaguers Lloyd McClendon and Jason Felice for the three-time Cy Young Award winner, who was 5-13 with a 5.50 ERA in 1982.

    1983 - Replacing Billy Martin (91-71, third place), Yogi Berra is hired for the second time to manage the Yankees. The Hall of Famer's self-exile from Yankee Stadium will last for nearly 15 seasons, after he is dismissed 16 games into the 1985 season despite receiving assurances from owner George Steinbrenner that he would not be fired.

    1991 - Clemente Nuñez becomes the first player in Marlins history. The 16-year-old Dominican right-hander, signed by Florida scout Edmundo Borrome, is assigned to the Gulf Coast Rookie League.

    1992 - Dusty Baker, 44, is selected to replace Roger Craig in the dugout as manager of the Giants. During his ten-year tenure, the former hitting coach will compile a 840-715 (.540) record and will be named the National League Manager of the Year three times.

    1996 - Unable to come to terms with the Yankees, World Series MVP John Wetteland signs a four-year free-agent deal worth $23 million to close games for Texas. The 29 year-old right-handed reliever, who saved all four victories in the Fall Classic against Atlanta, became expendable in New York with the emergence of Mariano Rivera, the team's nearly-perfect setup man.

    2001 - The Giants obtain their first Japanese player since 1964 when Masanori Murakami became the first ballplayer from Japan to appear in a major league game. San Francisco trades starting pitcher Shawn Estes (9-8, 4.02) to the Mets in exchange for outfielder outfielder Tsuyoshi Shinjo (.267, 10, 56) and infielder Desi Relaford (.302, 8, 36), who will be traded the Mariners for David Bell.

    2002 - After being invited to the Dominican Republic by President Hipolito Mejia, Japanese home run king Sadaharu Oh meets one of his favorite players, island resident Sammy Sosa. The Dominican outfielder, who is one homer shy of the coveted 500, will have to hit several hundred more to reach the mark of 868 set by the 62-year old during his 22 seasons playing for the Yomiuri Giants.

    2002 - After declining the $4.6 million two-year December 7 contract offer by the Yankees, which he had only 15 minutes to consider, Mike Stanton (7-1, 3.00, 6 saves) still decides to stay in town by agreeing to a $9 million, three-year, no trade contract with the cross-town rival Mets. The All-Star reliever wasn't offered salary arbitration by the Bronx Bombers after he failed to respond to their ultimatum.

    2003 - Miguel Tejada agrees to a six-year $72 million contract with the Orioles making it the largest deal in the history of the franchise. The shortstop batted .287 with 27 home runs while driving in 106 runs last season for the Western Division champions Oakland A's.

    2008 - The Phillies finalize their $31.5 million, three-year deal with free-agent Raul Ibanez (.293, 23, 110). The 36-year-old former Seattle outfielder, who will replace the departing Pat Burrell, provides another left-handed bat in an already potent Phillies lineup which includes lefties Ryan Howard and Chase Utley.

    2008 - The Orioles sign former Cardinal infielder Cesar Izturis to a $6 million two-year deal to fill the team’s void at shortstop. The 28-year old free agent, considered an oustanding defensive player, won a Gold Glove playing with the Dodgers in 2004.

    2009 - In a complicated blockbuster deal, involving four teams, nine players and results in two Cy Young winners being traded on the same day for the first time in baseball history, the Phillies send three top minor leaguers, catcher Travis d’Arnaud, right-hander Kyle Drabek (son of former Cy Young Award winner Doug Drabek), and outfielder Michael Taylor, who will be traded to get A's third baseman Brett Wallace, to the Blue Jays for Roy Halladay. After securing their new ace, Philadelphia sends their former ace, Cliff Lee, to the Mariners to restock their minor league system by getting prospects outfielder Tyson Gillies and righthanders Phillippe Aumont and Juan Ramirez from Seattle.

    2009 - Yankee free-agent Hideki Matsui signs a one-year deal with the Angels worth $6.5 million. This year's World Series MVP decided to take LA's offer rather than wait to see if the uninterested Bronx Bombers planned to bring him back as the DH, the role he is expected to play with his new club.

    2009 - The Red Sox and 36-year-old Mike Cameron (.250, 24, 70) finalize a $15.5 million, two-year contract. The three-time Gold Glove winner will help fill the void in the outfield with the anticipated departure of free agent left fielder Jason Bay.

    2009 - John Lackey and the Red Sox come to terms on an $82.5 million, five-year deal. The 31-year old right-hander, who compiled a 102-71 record along with a 3.81 ERA in eight seasons in the major leagues, all with the Angels, adds depth to a strong rotation which includes Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and Jon Lester.

    2011 - A federal judge sentences former Giants' super-star Barry Bonds to 30 days of house arrest, 2 years of probation, 250 hours of community service, and a $4,000 fine. The all-time home run champion, who is appealing his guilty verdict for the obstruction of justice, could have faced 15 months of jail time, as recommended by the prosecution.

    2012 - Torri Hunter signs a two-year, $26 million contract with the Tigers, the team the free-agent clearly wanted to play for after leaving the Angels. The deal, which was completed in less than an hour, brings the well-respected Gold Glove outfielder to the Motor City in the pursuit of a World Championship, a prize yet to be realized in the All-Star's 16-year major league career.

    2013 - The Atlanta Braves signed Gavin Floyd as a free agent.

    2013 - The Chicago White Sox traded Addison Reed to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Matt Davidson.

    2014 - The Chicago White Sox signed free agent Melky Cabrera to a three-year/$42 million contract.

    2014 - The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Brandon McCarthy as a free agent.

    2014 - The Kansas City Royals signed Kendrys Morales as a free agent.

    2014 - The Cleveland Indians signed Gavin Floyd as a free agent.

    2015 - The Cincinnati Reds traded Todd Frazier to the Chicago White Sox as part of 3-team trade in which the Los Angeles Dodgers sent Jose Peraza, Brandon Dixon and Scott Schebler to the Cincinnati Reds; and the Chicago White Sox sent Trayce Thompson, Micah Johnson and Frankie Montas to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

    2015 - The San Francisco Giants signed Johnny Cueto as a free agent.

    2015 - The Colorado Rockies signed Mark Reynolds as a free agent.

    2015 - The Atlanta Braves signed Tyler Flowers as a free agent.

    2016 - The Miami Marlins signed Javy Guerra as a free agent.

    2016 - The Baltimore Orioles signed Welington Castillo as a free agent.

    2016 - The Chicago White Sox signed Chris Volstad as a free agent.




    Baseball Birthdays on December 16...

    1856 - Hotaling, Pete
    1876 - Strang, Sammy
    1876 - Crolius, Fred
    1884 - Girard, Charlie
    1886 - Otey, Bill
    1891 - Tyler, Fred
    1892 - Moore, Scrappy
    1897 - Wigington, Fred
    1898 - Shellenback, Frank
    1898 - Cousineau, Dee
    1900 - Kaufmann, Tony
    1901 - McMullen, Hugh
    1904 - Berry, Joe
    1909 - Mailho, Emil
    1917 - Pruett, Jim
    1928 - Hansen, Doug
    1931 - Chrisley, Neil
    1934 - Bailey, Jim
    1936 - Richards, Duane
    1941 - Phillips, Adolfo
    1951 - Flanagan, Mike
    1952 - Bianco, Tommy
    1956 - Sofield, Rick
    1957 - Gorman, Tom
    1958 - Wilborn, Ted
    1958 - Johnson, Rondin
    1959 - Noce, Paul
    1963 - Jelic, Chris
    1964 - Ripken, Billy
    1965 - Hennis, Randy
    1965 - Jones, Chris
    1969 - Wood, Jason
    1971 - Granger, Jeff
    1972 - Gipson, Jr., Charles
    1976 - Kinney, Matt
    1980 - Hall, Josh
    1982 - Britton, Chris
    1982 - Ochoa, Ivan
    1983 - Wilhelmsen, Tom
    1986 - Anderson, Bryan
    1986 - Escobar, Alcides
    1986 - Lollis, Ryan
    1987 - Santiago, Hector
    1989 - Chatwood, Tyler



    Baseball Deaths on December 16...

    1915 - Hofford, John
    1920 - Bayless, Dick
    1924 - Dealy, Pat
    1937 - Reilly, Charlie
    1937 - Boyd, Frank
    1940 - Hamilton, Billy
    1941 - Garfield, Bill
    1949 - Himes, Jack
    1959 - Dashner, Lee
    1970 - Winford, Jim
    1971 - Schupp, Ferdie
    1984 - Garms, Debs
    1986 - Caulfield, Jake
    1988 - Hatten, Joe
    1988 - Kahle, Bob
    1990 - Flager, Wally
    1998 - Gorsica, Johnny
    2000 - Perkovich, John
    2004 - Abernathy, Ted
    2004 - Mattick, Bobby
    2006 - Travis, Cecil
    2015 - McAnany, Jim