History and Trivia: Catfish Hunter

History and Trivia: The 'Catfish' Hunter Story

The death of Hall of Fame pitcher Jim "Catfish" Hunter on September 9, 1999 serves to recap the lifetime achievements of this 234 game winner, with five World Series, a perfect game and a Cy Young award. But one of his victories was a legal one: he became the first free agent in modern times. The circumstances of his case are a fascinating tale of Hunter's sense of worth and the thick-headedness by the owner Charlie Findlay of the Oakland Athletes.

At the end of the 1974 season, Hunter (with help from the Major League Baseball Players' Association) discovered a breach of his contract. Hunter wanted long-term financial stability and his contract stipulated half of his 1974 salary was to be set aside in an annuity (an insurance trust). Finley failed to make the appropriate payments. Why? Because the stingy owner discovered that the deferred payment was not tax-deductible as a normal salary would be.

Finley was willing to give Hunter a check for the amount, but Hunter, feeling aggrieved, claimed a breach of contract and sought free agency. The matter went to arbitration.

The arbitrator, Peter Seitz was a professional labor arbitrator. Trained as a lawyer, he decided a number of labor - management disputes over his career. Well-read and well versed, he had a keen legal mind and a sense of fairness. (He would be the arbitrator who one year later would abolish baseball's "reserve" system once and for all).

Seitz found that the contract was breached and declared Hunter a free agent. As one of the top pitchers of the game, he was free to sign with any team he wished. When informed of the ruling, he said to his wife, "we don't belong to anybody." Over 20 teams sought his services and ultimately Hunter signed the baseball's first multi-million dollar contract. His five-year $3.25 million deal with the New York Yankees included a $1 million signing bonus, life insurance and deferred compensation and a $150,000 annual salary. A long way from his one-year $100,000 contract with Oakland.

Catfish Hunter discovered a dirty little secret: in a free market, certain owners will pay top dollar for top players. Charlie Finley discovered that a breach of contract could open up the floodgates.