Here’s a neat piece of baseball history from Mastro’s April 2007 auction catalog: Roger Clemens’ signed 1985 Boston Red Sox playing contract (sorry, that’s the best scan I could produce).
The eight-page document, signed by Clemens and Red Sox general manager Lou Gorman, specified a base salary of $140,000 for the young pitcher, who was entering his second major-league season.
But the really interesting details were in the incentive clauses. Clemens could earn an additional $12,500 for reaching various starts and innings-pitched milestones, $25,000 for making the All-Star team, $25,000 for winning the league MVP award, and $35,000 for winning the Cy Young Award.
Unfortunately for Clemens, he didn’t earn any of those bonuses in 1985, finishing the season with a 7–5 record. Of course, he went 24–4 the following year, won the American League Cy Young and MVP awards, and saw his base salary jump to $340,000.
For a more affordable piece of Clemens’ early career, you can always pick up one of his 1984 Fleer Update rookie cards on eBay.
Mastro offered the contract alongside a $426 Red Sox payroll check dated September 27, 1984, which Clemens had endorsed following his rookie season.
For a little more historical perspective, Lelands sold one of Clemens’ earlier minor-league contracts in December 2004. That six-page document, signed in August 1983 while he was with the Double-A New Britain Red Sox, specified a salary of just $600 per month. It sold for $3,047.64.
I’ve also found a couple of other auction appearances for Clemens’ 1983 minor-league paperwork, but haven’t tracked down another sale of this particular 1985 contract.
If anyone knows where it ended up after Mastro’s April 2007 auction, I’d love to hear from you!
Happy collecting!
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