The Elements of a Valid Contract . . . . Eddie Gaedel

At 3' 7" in height and 65 pounds, Eddie Gaedel was far from the typical major league ballplayer. Nonetheless, Gaedel could lay claim to having once appeared in a major league game. His appearance is documented in the Baseball Encyclopedia. Gaedel's single line of major league statistics stands tall between the records of fellow major leaguers Len Gabrielson and Gary Gaetti. The St. Louis Browns, later to become the Baltimore Orioles, sent Gaedel to bat as a publicity stunt in the second game of a 1951 doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers. In the bottom of the first inning, the Browns' Frank Saucier, a rookie outfielder, was scheduled to lead off. Instead, Gaedel, carrying a toy bat, strode to the plate as a pinch hitter. Gaedel was wearing a tiny St. Louis uniform that belonged to nine-year-old Bill DeWitt, Jr., the son of the team's vice president. On the back of Gaedel's uniform was the number 1/8. Home plate umpire Ed Hurley demanded proof that Gaedel really was on the Browns' roster. Anticipating this possibility, St. Louis owner Bill Veeck had signed Gaedel to a $100-per-day contract and mailed the papers to the American League headquarters the night before the game. Zack Taylor, the Browns' manager, showed Hurley a copy of the contract. Nothing in the rule book barred a midget, so the umpire was forced to allow Gaedel to bat. Detroit pitcher Bob Cain walked Gaedel on four pitches, the last two of which were three feet over Gaedel's head. Two days later, the president of the American League, Will Harridge, voided Gaedel's contract. Harridge ruled that the contract was contrary to the best interests of baseball. Contracts have three distinct elements: an offer, the acceptance, and consideration in the form of money or some other item of value or form of commitment. Eddie Gaedel's contract may not have been in the best interests of baseball, but there is no doubt that it was a valid agreement. The contract contained all of the essential elements. Gaedel was to play for the St. Louis Browns and, in return, would receive $100 each day. The three components of a valid contract, an offer by the Browns, acceptance of the offer by Gaedel, and consideration in the form of money, were present.