Seaver signs richest one-year deal for pitchers in MLB history
But in 1974, MLB players were not the highest paid among the four major team sports. NBA stars like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain, for example, were already earning more than $300,000 per season.
“Salaries in other sports have skyrocketed, mostly as a result of bidding wars between rival leagues,” Seaver told the Sporting News. “They have made the baseball owners aware of the kind of money being paid in other sports. It has helped bring the baseball salaries up to a more realistic level.”
Related Hall of Famers
To the topRelated Stories
To the top
Tom Seaver strikes out 10 straight Padres
Seaver fans 19 of the 31 batters he faced, including the last 10 in a row.

Tom Seaver Announces His Retirement
When Tom Seaver officially retired from baseball on June 22, 1987, his body of work earned him a place in Cooperstown.

Tom Seaver gets his no-hitter
The stars finally aligned for Tom Seaver.