Braves Franchise History
2002 – The Braves acquire outfielder Gary Sheffield from the Dodgers in exchange for Brian Jordan, Odalis Perez and minor leaguer Andrew Brown. Sheffield appeared in 290 games for the Braves over the next two seasons hitting .319/.412/.562 with 64 home runs and 216 RBI.
2008 – The Braves announce that they are cutting ties with the Richmond Braves after 42 years of affiliation due to disputes over management of The Diamond, Richmond’s ballpark. Atlanta will move the club to a new stadium in Gwinnett County, Georgia.
2009 – The Los Angeles Dodgers release Andruw Jones barely a year after signing him to a $36.2 million deal. Jones hit just .158 with three home runs in 75 games while battling weight and knee problems during his debut season.
MLB History
1934 – Babe Ruth signs a one-year contract worth $35,000 with the Yankees. The deal is a $17,000 pay cut for Ruth from the previous season.
1936 – IRS figures show that Branch Rickey was the highest-paid professional in Major League Baseball at $49,470. Commissioner Landis had voluntarily cut his salary from $65,000 to $40,000 due to the Depression.
1942 – President Franklin Roosevelt sends the “Green Light Letter” to Commissioner Landis encouraging Major League Baseball to continue playing during World War II. President Roosevelt states that he believes playing will be good for Americans and encourages the owners to have more games at night.
1957 – The Brooklyn Dodgers extend their five-year lease with Ebbets Field by signing a new three-year lease with developer Marvin Kratter, who purchased the field in 1953. One year later, the Dodgers will move to Los Angeles.
1981 – Bob Gibson is elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
1990 – Cecil Fielder signs with the Tigers. Fielder hit 38 home runs for the Harshen Tigers in 1989. He will hit 51 homers for Detroit in 1990.
2013 – The Nationals sign former Yankees closer Rafael Soriano to a two-year deal worth $28 million.
2014 – The Dodgers give Clayton Kershaw a seven-year, $215 million deal. Kershaw will make $30.7 million per season which makes him the highest paid player in the majors.
Information for this article was found via Baseball Reference, NationalPastime.com and Today in Baseball History.