IN THE NEWS: The White Sox trade 1983 American League Cy Young Award winner LaMarr Hoyt and two minor leaguers to the Padres for P Tim Lollar, IF-OF Luis Salazar, and minor leaguers Ozzie Guillen and Bill Long. SS Guillen will win the AL Rookie of the Year Award next season and hold down the Sox shortstop spot till the end of the 1990s. Workhorse Hoyt will be out of baseball in two years, amidst rumors of drug use.
IN THE NEWS: In a straight trade, the Mets send P Walt Terrell to the Detroit Tigers for 3B Howard Johnson. Hojo will start for eight years in New York. Terrell will have six seasons in Detroit, interrupted by stays with four other teams.
IN THE NEWS: St. Louis sends slugger George Hendrick and a minor leaguer to the Pirates for P John Tudor and Brian Harper. Tudor, at 12–11, was the ace of the Bucs' staff, which set a record by having the National League's best ERA, though the team finished last. The 35-year-old Hendrick will play just a half season in the Iron City before going to California.
IN THE NEWS: Free-agent pitcher Ed Whitson, 14–8 for the Padres, begins a nightmarish association with the Yankees by signing a 5-year, $4.4 million contract.
IN THE NEWS: Despite six weeks of negotiations, the Basic Agreement between the players and owners that was reached after the 1981 strike expires. The players are now seeking increased contributions to their pension plan from the clubs' additional television revenues, while the owners are hoping to slow the rapid growth of player salaries.