January 18, 1975, Tom Seaver agrees to take a 20% pay cut. He made a record $173,000 last season and he takes a $34K pay hit after winning only 11 games in 1974.
He said the decision was made after a meeting with M. Donald Grant. “I wasn’t disturbed by the cut. The club has been very good and honest with me. They paid me well and I didn’t pitch up to that amount.” Seaver will bounce back with a 22 win campaign and lead the league with 243 strikeouts to win the National League Cy Young Award for the third time.
The $34,000 drop removes Seaver from his perch as the highest‐salaried pitcher in baseball history, though Hunter shattered all such thinking by signing with the Yanks for $150,000 a year plus long‐range benefits that will add up to a $3‐million to $4‐million package. Dick Allen has been offered $250,000 to play first base with the Atlanta Braves and Henry Aaron will make $200,000 for hitting home runs with the Milwaukee Brewers.
