5 players who signed free-agent contracts with rivals

After the winter meetings wrapped up Thursday morning, rumors continued to swirl about where free-agent outfielder Dexter Fowler could sign.

The speculation was put to rest when he chose a deal with the St. Louis Cardinals, leaving the rival Chicago Cubs in his dust in exchange for a multi-year agreement - the first big, long-term contract of the 30-year-old's career.

In the process, Fowler added fuel to the fire of a long and heated rivalry between the Cubs and Cardinals.

Here are five other players who didn't win over any fans by leaving their clubs for free-agent deals with a rival.

Johnny Damon, Red Sox to Yankees

After four seasons in Boston, which included two All-Star appearances and a World Series title, Damon split for the Big Apple and immediately became public enemy No. 1 among Red Sox fans. He not only left for a division rival, but chose a four-year, $52-million deal with the New York Yankees instead of a three-year offer from the Red Sox, despite claiming he'd never leave for the money.

"There's no way I can go play for the Yankees, but I know they're going to come after me hard," Damon said ahead of the move. "It's definitely not the most important thing to go out there for the top dollar, which the Yankees are going to offer me. It's not what I need."

Jason Heyward, Cardinals to Cubs

After securing the third Gold Glove award of his career and helping the Cardinals to a 100-win season, Heyward departed for the division-rival Cubs thanks to a $184-million contract. To say Cardinals fans weren't happy is an understatement. During his first appearance at Busch Stadium after signing the deal, the crowd allegedly hurled racial slurs at the team's former outfielder, which were supposedly heard on national TV.

Roberto Alomar, Blue Jays to Orioles

Alomar may be one of the most popular figures in Toronto Blue Jays history, but things weren't always rosy for the Hall of Famer in the Great White North, especially after he bolted for the Baltimore Orioles in 1995. Alomar earned a particularly unpopular reputation in Toronto during a game against the Blue Jays in 1996, when he spit in umpire John Hirschbeck's face during a heated argument.

Jason Schmidt, Giants to Dodgers

The rivalry between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants may be on par with that of the Red Sox and Yankees as the most heated in baseball. Fans argue, deaths have occurred, and Juan Marichal once hit John Roseboro with a bat. Prior to the 2007 season, Jason Schmidt didn't make the rivalry any less heated when he left the Giants for the Dodgers on a three-year, $47-million contract. Things didn't work out for the hurler, who only made 10 starts for L.A. before his MLB career ended in 2009.

Jacoby Ellsbury, Red Sox to Yankees

In 2013, Jacoby Ellsbury followed in the footsteps of Damon by also leaving the Red Sox for a lucrative contract to don the pinstripes, but things haven't exactly panned out for the 33-year-old in New York. Once known as a dangerous leadoff hitter, Ellsbury's career has begun to flounder, as he's never boasted an OPS over .747 in New York, and, over the past two seasons, he's been worth a total of 2.9 WAR. The Red Sox, on the other hand, feature one of the most dynamic outfield trios in all of baseball, with Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Andrew Benintendi leading the youth regime in Boston.