January 26, 1990: The Boston Red Sox hire Elaine Weddington, the first female African-American executive in MLB history, as their assistant general manger; now Elizabeth Weddington Steward, she is currently Vice President & Club Counsel for the Red Sox and she is featured is in the Hall of Fame's Women in Baseball Exhibit in Cooperstown. [...]

January 25, 1960: Jackie Jensen, the Red Sox 32 year-old All Star right fielder, announces his retirement from the Red Sox and MLB; Jensen, who had been named the AL MVP in 1958 and who led the AL in RBI in 1959, retired for personal reasons including fear of flying, and was coaxed out of retirement in 1961, but retired for good following that season. [...]

January 24, 1977: Ben Mondor is approved as owner of the Red Sox Triple-A franchise in Pawtucket, RI; Mondor would own the PawSox for 33 years, building a model minor league franchise, expanding McCoy Stadium, contributing to the local community, and continuing in an active role until his death in 2010. [...]

January 23, 1981: The Red Sox trade center fielder Fred Lynn to the California Angels for pitcher Frank Tanana and outfielder Joe Rudi; Lynn would go on to play 10 more years, including three All-Star seasons, while Tanana would go 4-10 in 1981 and leave as a free agent, while Rudi played sparingly in his one Boston season and batted .180. [...]

January 22, 2003: After being released by the Minnesota Twins, first baseman David Ortiz is signed by the Boston Red Sox for $1,250,000; the signing of Ortiz is almost an after-thought by the Red Sox as they envision him backing up first baseman Jeremy Giambi, but once Ortiz got into the lineup he became and remains a permanent fixture. [...]