On this day, February 21, 1974, the Mets signed Tom Seaver for a 1-yr contract valued at $172,500. Adjusting for inflation this would be worth $1.1M in 2025. How times have changed.
Coming off an electric 1973 where Tom won the Cy Young Award, winning 19 games with an ERA of 2.08 the Mets were eager to sign Seaver and in the process made him the highest paid player in MLB history.
Tom followed this signing with a down season finishing 1974 with an ERA of 3.20, 11 wins and was forced to take a 20% pay cut in 1975. He was eventually traded to the Cincinnati Reeds in 1977 in what has been labeled as the “Midnight Massacre”
To learn more about Tom’s legacy please follow the links below:
Career Stats
Hall of Fame
Tom Seaver Wine
