Word: winfields
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Each of the teams made its designated player an early-round draft choice. The only problem was that the three selections were all-the same man: Dave Winfield. An athlete for all seasons, Winfield thus became one of the few players ever drafted by professional teams in three sports...
...opted for baseball, and last week the decision paid off handsomely. After languishing for eight years with the flaccid Padres, Winfield, 29, signed a contract with the New York Yankees that will reportedly bring him as much as $20 million over the next ten years. His agreement with the Yankees, by far the richest contract since baseball's free-agent era began in 1976, makes him the highest-paid American athlete. Houston Astro Pitcher Nolan Ryan's $1 million a year and fellow Yankee Outfielder Reggie...
Jackson's $500,000-plus a year pale in comparison with Winfield's estimated $1.3 million annual stipend. Included in the deal is a $1 million signing bonus, as well as complicated provisions tying extra compensation to the inflation rate and the price of Yankees tickets...
Some baseball observers were aghast at the huge sum laid out for a player who had hit over .300 only twice in his eight-year major league career. Is Winfield worth it? Says Baltimore Oriole General Manager Hank Peters: "Not in my judgment. I don't think any athlete in any team sport can be important enough to command that kind of money." But Winfield had a ready retort: "Everything has a market value. How do you set a price on a precious...
...Dallas last week, less than a month after the free-agent draft, only eight of the big leagues' 48 free agents had signed new contracts. (In 1976, 18 of 22 free agents drafted signed fat contracts within a month.) A few, such as San Diego Superstar Dave Winfield, who is reportedly holding out for $20 million, have not signed because they expect the ante to jump with each passing day. But a number are simply finding that the market is less bullish. Furthermore, 18 minor-league players were drafted by big-league clubs during last week's meetings...