Somewhere high above, Jim “Catfish” Hunter is having himself a good ol’ laugh. How could not he be laughing after hearing about the free agent contract that ? This New Year will mark the 45th anniversary of Hunter’s free agent deal with the Yankees, the first such contract in MLB history.
And, here’s the kicker: It was a five-year deal worth $3.75M. That’s $3.75M TOTAL, not per season.
In 1975, that contract broke the bank. It paid out $750K per season, an astronomical figure for the time. Hunter, then 28, was the reigning American League Cy Young winner after a 25-12, 2.