On March 2, 1966, Commissioner William Eckert voids the contract recently signed by collegiate star Tom Seaver. The Atlanta Braves had signed Seaver to a $50,000 bonus a week earlier, but Eckert cites a rule prohibiting teams from signing players while their college seasons are ongoing. A special draft will be held after the collegiate…
Refusing to report to spring training, Dodger pitchers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale begin their joint holdout, asking for a $1 million, three-year contract, to be divided equally between them. The deal, equivalent to an annual salary of $167,000 for each hurler, will make them the best-paid players in baseball, easily surpassing Willie Mays’ $125,000 yearly paycheck with the Giants.
January 25, 1964 – On a chilly day in County Stadium, Henry Aaron and Eddie Mathews both signed their contracts with the Braves for 1964. Mathewson took a slight pay cut from 1963, dropping from $62,500 to $57,500 and Aaron signed on for $62,000 a large increase from his $53,000 in 1963. At the time,…
On January 31, 1962, San Francisco Giants star Willie Mays signs the largest contract in baseball, reportedly $90,000 for the upcoming season. Mays will earn every penny in 1962, when he bats .304 with 49 home runs and 141 RBIs and helps the Giants to the National League pennant. @ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90YWdzIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiIiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiIiLCJsaW5rX3RvX3Rlcm1fcGFnZSI6Im9uIiwic2VwYXJhdG9yIjoiIHwgIiwiY2F0ZWdvcnlfdHlwZSI6InBvc3RfdGFnIn19@[jetpack_subscription_form title=”Subscribe to This Day In…
January 17, 1962 – Warren Spahn, the highest-paid pitcher in baseball, met briefly at County Stadium with general manager John McHale before signing his 1962 contract. Terms of the contract were not released, but reportedly Spahn was in the $65,000 range.
1961 – Roger Maris’s request for a $75,000 contract is denied by New York Yankees general manager Roy Hamey.
1961 – Mickey Mantle signs a 1962 contract for $82,000. Only Joe DiMaggio has been paid more by the Yankees.
Feb. 11, 1961 – The 39 homers and 124 RBIs driven in last year by Eddie Mathews (pictured between Hank Aaron and Joe Adcock) paid off today for the hard-hitting third baseman of the Milwaukee Braves. Mathews signed his 1961 contract for $60,000. The 29-year-old slugger was the runner-up to teammate Hank Aaron for National…
Dec. 18, 1959 Gabe Paul smiles as well traveled ballplayer Billy Martin signs his 1960 contract to play for the Reds. Cincinnati Reds; manager Fred Hutchinson hoped Martin could instill some fight into his team. Although he could not make the Reds a winner with his diminished skills, he still was a battler…
On March 11, 1960, Mickey Mantle of the New York Yankees signs a one-year contract worth $65,000. The new deal is a $7,000 cut in pay for Mantle, who batted .285 with 31 home runs and 75 RBIs for the Yankees in 1959. @ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF90YWdzIiwic2V0dGluZ3MiOnsiYmVmb3JlIjoiIiwiYWZ0ZXIiOiIiLCJsaW5rX3RvX3Rlcm1fcGFnZSI6Im9uIiwic2VwYXJhdG9yIjoiIHwgIiwiY2F0ZWdvcnlfdHlwZSI6InBvc3RfdGFnIn19@ Game ticket & learn more about the players, teams, stadiums and…
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