Quote:
Originally Posted by BobbyStrawberry
Didn't King Kelly command that sum twenty years earlier?
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I think you are right. Per SABR "The Boston Beaneaters believed Kelly would attract the numerous Irish population of the city, and were willing to pay the amazing sum of $10,000 to purchase his contract. They paid Kelly $5,000 in salary, which was listed as the $2,000 National League maximum plus $3,000 for the use of his picture for advertising purposes." and later in the same article it says that "Boston sent another $10,000 to Chicago in the offseason to purchase pitcher John Clarkson, and could boast in 1888 of its $20,000 battery, Kelly and Clarkson."
https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/king-kelly/