In March of 1976, Tom Seaver was the best pitcher in baseball.
He had won his third Cy Young award the previous season, his second in three years, leading the league in strikeouts on his way to a 22-9 record and 2.38 ERA. The 31-year-old, who took a pay cut in 1975 after a subpar performance according to his incredibly high standards, was ready to get paid in 1976.
However, a contract dispute with the Mets put the Hall-of-Famer on the market and almost landed him in Dodger Stadium.
On March 28, 1976, a report circulated from the Newark Star Ledger that Tom Seaver had been traded to the Dodgers in exchange for another Hall-of-Famer in waiting, Don Sutton.