Big money baseball contracts are ludicrous

Here are some baseball hot-stove league matters to toss your attention away from Washington, D.C. Let me walk you through some amazing stats.

According to The Gazette, Kyle Tucker who played for the Chicago Cubs last season, just signed a four-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers for $60 million a year. If he plays in all 162 games in 2026, he’ll make $370,000 per game. He had a batting average of .266 last year.

In 1941, Joe DiMaggio slammed a base hit in 61 consecutive games, with a batting average for the year of .357. His salary was $37,500 for the year, about $270 per game. Ted Williams hit .406 that season. He was paid $18,000 that year, or about $126 per game.

The cost of living is now 22 times higher than in 1941 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That means DiMaggio’s salary, adjusted for inflation, would now be $825,000 a year, and Williams’ would be $396,000.

Sure, 1941 club owners were skinflints, but today’s money deals are ludicrous. Baseball already has two strikes against it. Crazy salaries and lack of parity among teams will hasten the final out.

Dale Kueter

Cedar Rapids