Remembering “The Highest-Paid Team In Baseball History”

[Boiler Bird]

“The Highest-Paid Team In Baseball History”

That tag and team graced the cover of Sports Illustrated for October 7, 1968, a fold-out showing the starting nine for the defending “World Champion St. Louis Cardinals” seated by their lockers with the “Manager of the Moneymen” and their salaries in order of appearance.

Maris $75,000
McCarver $60,000
Gibson $85,000
Shannon $40,000
Brock $70,000
Cepeda $80,000
Flood $72,500
Javier $45,000
Maxvill $37,500
Schoendienst $42,000
(Total) $607,000

Most contributed to two world championships and nearly a third for the Cardinals, but that talented, tight-knit and winsome clan has become ancient history, now more than ever, along with their proud and generous patriarch, Gussie Busch, and their legendary voice of 25 years, native St. Louisan Harry Caray, the subject of an 11-page feature in that same SI issue. “Harry Has His Own Ways” detailed his frolics and many near-firings, realized a year later, but when Harry was booming into 48 states over KMOX for baseball’s farthest west and farthest south and second-most trophied franchise, Cardinal Nation was born and St. Louis became a fixture among baseball’s annual attendance leaders.

Now, instead, the DimWitt regime has cut costs, featured farmhands and totally turned off the far-reaching fanbase, driving away a million in attendance in 2025 from 2023 for their lowest regular season total in 30 years. Meanwhile, a one-actor play off Broadway was making more than “The Highest-Paid Team” did together … and doing so every two games. That one mere Met nets $51,000,000 per year. That’s $110,000 per at-bat for Soto solo, the One-Ring Juan-der whose foul balls skip Cooperstown and go straight to Fort Knox.

Money can’t buy love, or even postseason, but the Mets at least bought some wins while the DimWitts just bought the farm.

https://vault.si.com/vault/1968/10/07/40890-toc

[jcgmoi]

One-Ring Juan-der

Why the slur? 105 RBI, 120 R, and guess who led the NL in SBs?

[NYCardsFan]

The full cover is a great photo:

[jcgmoi]

I remember that cover. A lot of them are dead now. I especially like seeing a still young Red, sporting the wet look.

[BrummerStealsHome]

“The Highest-Paid Team In Baseball History”

That tag and team graced the cover of Sports Illustrated for October 7, 1968, a fold-out showing the starting nine for the defending “World Champion St. Louis Cardinals” seated by their lockers with the “Manager of the Moneymen” and their salaries in order of appearance.

Maris $75,000
McCarver $60,000
Gibson $85,000
Shannon $40,000
Brock $70,000
Cepeda $80,000
Flood $72,500
Javier $45,000
Maxvill $37,500
Schoendienst $42,000
(Total) $607,000

Most contributed to two world championships and nearly a third for the Cardinals, but that talented, tight-knit and winsome clan has become ancient history, now more than ever, along with their proud and generous patriarch, Gussie Busch, and their legendary voice of 25 years, native St. Louisan Harry Caray, the subject of an 11-page feature in that same SI issue. “Harry Has His Own Ways” detailed his frolics and many near-firings, realized a year later, but when Harry was booming into 48 states over KMOX for baseball’s farthest west and farthest south and second-most trophied franchise, Cardinal Nation was born and St. Louis became a fixture among baseball’s annual attendance leaders.

Now, instead, the DimWitt regime has cut costs, featured farmhands and totally turned off the far-reaching fanbase, driving away a million in attendance in 2025 from 2023 for their lowest regular season total in 30 years. Meanwhile, a one-actor play off Broadway was making more than “The Highest-Paid Team” did together … and doing so every two games. That one mere Met nets $51,000,000 per year. That’s $110,000 per at-bat for Soto solo, the One-Ring Juan-der whose foul balls skip Cooperstown and go straight to Fort Knox.

Money can’t buy love, or even postseason, but the Mets at least bought some wins while the DimWitts just bought the farm.

https://vault.si.com/vault/1968/10/07/40890-toc

That's about $6M total in today's currency. Using that so we can compare apples to apples, the top 10 players on the 2025 Cardinals made about $107M. So the present day team makes about 18X what the '68 team made in real dollars. That's mind-boggling. But let's go a step further, and compare the highest paid team in '68 to the highest paid team in '25, the New York Mets. The top 10 salaries for the Mets this year totalled $231M. This is 38.5X more in real dollars. Never feel sorry for these guys.

[NYCardsFan]

I remember that cover. A lot of them are dead now. I especially like seeing a still young Red, sporting the wet look.

Yes, I believe Maxvill and Javier are the only two still living.

[jcgmoi]

I believe you're right. Dal is 86, Hoolie 89. Ex-Card Bill Greason turned 101 last month and is the oldest former major leaguer.

[1_12_1968]

“The Highest-Paid Team In Baseball History”

That tag and team graced the cover of Sports Illustrated for October 7, 1968, a fold-out showing the starting nine for the defending “World Champion St. Louis Cardinals” seated by their lockers with the “Manager of the Moneymen” and their salaries in order of appearance.

Maris $75,000
McCarver $60,000
Gibson $85,000
Shannon $40,000
Brock $70,000
Cepeda $80,000
Flood $72,500
Javier $45,000
Maxvill $37,500
Schoendienst $42,000
(Total) $607,000

Most contributed to two world championships and nearly a third for the Cardinals, but that talented, tight-knit and winsome clan has become ancient history, now more than ever, along with their proud and generous patriarch, Gussie Busch, and their legendary voice of 25 years, native St. Louisan Harry Caray, the subject of an 11-page feature in that same SI issue. “Harry Has His Own Ways” detailed his frolics and many near-firings, realized a year later, but when Harry was booming into 48 states over KMOX for baseball’s farthest west and farthest south and second-most trophied franchise, Cardinal Nation was born and St. Louis became a fixture among baseball’s annual attendance leaders.

Now, instead, the DimWitt regime has cut costs, featured farmhands and totally turned off the far-reaching fanbase, driving away a million in attendance in 2025 from 2023 for their lowest regular season total in 30 years. Meanwhile, a one-actor play off Broadway was making more than “The Highest-Paid Team” did together … and doing so every two games. That one mere Met nets $51,000,000 per year. That’s $110,000 per at-bat for Soto solo, the One-Ring Juan-der whose foul balls skip Cooperstown and go straight to Fort Knox.

Money can’t buy love, or even postseason, but the Mets at least bought some wins while the DimWitts just bought the farm.

https://vault.si.com/vault/1968/10/07/40890-toc

That winter or the next Gibson signed a $150,000 salary and was the highest player in baseball.

[sp25]

I remember that cover. A lot of them are dead now. I especially like seeing a still young Red, sporting the wet look.

Yes, I believe Maxvill and Javier are the only two still living.

Makes me sad!

[Quincy Varnish]

The same issue features an article on Cardinals broadcaster, Harry Caray.