Dick Moss, a labor lawyer who, with Marvin Miller, the powerful leader of the union that represents baseball players, set the stage for the sport’s free agency revolution and the multi-million-dollar salaries to come.

In 1977, he stepped down from the union to become a sports agent; his clients included the pitcher Nolan Ryan, for whom he negotiated baseball’s first $1 million annual salary, with the Houston Astros,

in 1979 (the equivalent of $4.35 million today).

[Note: The highest paid baseball player today is Shohei Ohtani, who signed a 10-year $700 contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers to be a pitcher and designated hitter.]