Baseball's $20 Million Man

By B.J. Phillips

An athlete for all seasons signs the deal of a decade

The scouts came to the University of Minnesota in 1973 with high hopes and open wallets. The man from the Minnesota Vikings had his eye on a prospect for tight end, a graduating senior big enough (6 ft. 6 in., 220 lbs.) and fast enough to make it in the N.F.L. despite the fact that he had not played football since high school. The scout from the Atlanta Hawks sought to sign up a power forward who had averaged 15.3 points and 7.4 rebounds a game during his college basketball career. And the fellow from the San Diego Padres was ecstatic over a pitcher-outfielder with a fine arm and a better bat (.379 with nine homers in his senior year).

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.

He 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 gem?"

To be sure, Winfield was perhaps the brightest diamond among a rather lusterless crop of free agents this year, the 48 veterans who played out their options after at least six years in the majors. Yet some of those players won astronomical contracts, considering their limited skills. Former New York Met Outfielder Claudell Washington reportedly received $2.5 million over five years from the Atlanta Braves, despite a lifetime average of .279 and a seven-year home run total of 47. Texas Rangers Utility Infielder Dave Roberts received a new contract for more than $200,000 a year from the Astros, even though Houston officials admit that he will not be in the starting lineup.

On the other hand, quite a few major leaguers boast more impressive statistics than Winfield's, except for the salary figure. Baltimore Oriole First Baseman Eddie Murray, 24, has played in the majors only four years, but he has already hit 111 home runs, driven in 398 runs and averaged .291, yet he earned just $150,000 last season. He will be eligible to declare himself a free agent after the 1982 season. If Winfield's price is $20 million, Murray's value is almost incalculable.

Yet Winfield is no slouch. A respectable hitter (major league average .279, with 154 home runs and 626 RBIs), he is a sure-handed outfielder whose speed and accurate arm keep base runners back on their heels. Last season he was something of a disappointment, batting only .276 with 20 homers. At least some of his problems at the plate can be blamed on the Padres' weak-hitting lineup. American League pitchers will not have the luxury of pitching around Winfield in a Yankee batting order that also includes such sluggers as Jackson (41 homers last season), Graig Nettles (16 home runs despite missing 65 games because of hepatitis) and Bob Watson (.307 season's average).

Perhaps the biggest benefactors of Winfield's windfall will be the other denizens of Owner George Steinbrenner's Bronx zoo. Jackson's contract expires at the end of the 1981 season, and as he is the only major leaguer to hit 25 or more home runs each year for the past ten consecutive years, his asking price will probably be even higher than Winfield's. Pitcher Ron Guidry, a 1978 Cy Young Award winner with one year left on his estimated $250,000-a-year contract, will be after a bigger slice of the Yankee pie too--unless Steinbrenner deals him first to the Boston Red Sox as part of a trade that would bring hard-hitting Centerfielder Fred Lynn to New York.

Steinbrenner feels Winfield's contract is justified because the Yankees desperately need to fill a gap in their-lineup that has yawned since Catcher Thurman Munson's death last year in the crash of his private plane. Winfield brings righthanded power to a roster overloaded with lefthanders. His speed should also help the Yankees' sluggish base running, a weakness painfully exposed by the Kansas City Royals during the playoffs last fall.

Says Pittsburgh Pirates Executive Vice President Harding Peterson:

"A player's worth depends on what the market will bear, the needs of a given club and its policy on salaries. So things fit together for

Winfield and the Yankees. Still, that's a lot of money for a .276 hitter. That's a lot of money for a .400 hitter."

Nonetheless, ten teams entered the sweepstakes for Winfield. Three -- the Mets and the Cleveland Indians as well as the Yankees -- made firm, eight-figure offers. But Winfield had had enough of second-division teams and wanted to play for a club with genuine pennant hopes.

"I chose the Yankees to find out how good I am and to contribute to a winning cause," said Winfield. "Winning a World Series is one of my aspirations, and now I have a chance." Jackson warned Winfield that the megabucks Yankees endure a special scrutiny, from both fans and George Steinbrenner. Said Jackson: "It's either a lion's den or it's Disney World."

Winfield took a long look at his $20 million deal and concurred: "There will be a tremendous spotlight on me. There is no easy money here."

By B.J. Phillips

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