On December 10th, 1998 the Tampa Bay Devil Rays signed former American League MVP, Jose Canseco to a two year deal.
The controversial slugger had a storied past and had dealt with nagging injuries, making his list of suitors dwindle during that off-season, despite a fantastic 1998 campaign with the Toronto Blue Jays in which he slashed .237/.318/.518 with a career high of 46 HR and he also stole 29 bases on the year.
Canseco surged during the beginning of his run with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as he had over 30 HR by the All Star break, but unfortunately a back injury cost him most of the latter part of the season and when he did return, he wasn’t fully healthy as his numbers dwindled during the final few weeks of the season.