The price of greatness

A few months before future Hall of Famer Willie Mays takes his first swings at Seals Stadium in 1958 as a San Francisco Giant, he signs a one-year contract 66 years ago today for $65,000.

The deal is the richest ever handed out by the Giants, who only a few months earlier end their 75-year stay in New York and move to California.

Even then, Mays – arguably baseball's best player at the time – is woefully underpaid compared to today’s players.

Fast forwarding, Mays’ $65,000 contract from 1958 would be worth $690,600 today – half of what the Giants in 2023 pay to see outfielder-first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. hit .256 in 135 games for them with 17 homers and 45 runs batted in.

Of course, gasoline in 1958 costs only 30 cents per gallon, so there is that.

Still, paying $65,000 to the incomparable Willie Mays in 1958 seems a bit light, even when accounting for inflation between then and now.