IN THE NEWS: As compensation for the loss of free-agent pitcher Floyd Bannister to the White Sox, the Mariners select 20-year-old minor league infielder Danny Tartabull from the Reds organization. Tartabull hit .227 for Waterbury (Eastern League) last season.
IN THE NEWS: One day after taking a job as director of sports promotions for Claridge Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, NJ, Mickey Mantle is ordered to sever his ties with ML baseball by Commissioner Kuhn. Mantle joins fellow Hall of Famer Willie Mays as players banned from baseball by Kuhn for involvement with legalized gambling.
IN THE NEWS: Fernando Valenzuela wins his salary arbitration case with the Dodgers and becomes the first player to win a $1 million salary through that process. The Dodgers had offered Valenzuela $750,000 for the 1983 season.