An MLB pitcher walked away from $12 million. He tells us why he has no regrets

Peak

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Editor’s note: This story is part of Peak, The Athletic’s desk covering leadership, personal development and success through the lens of sports. Follow Peak here.

When the call came in 2011, Dayton Moore was at home on his treadmill. Moore, the general manager of the Kansas City Royals at the time, remembers that detail for a very good reason: It’s not every day a player tells you he’s going to walk away from $12 million.

The caller was Gil Meche, a starting pitcher Moore and the Royals had signed in 2007 for $55 million over five years. Other teams had offered Meche four-year contracts, so the Royals tacked on an extra year to close the deal. At the time, it was the richest contract in franchise history. (A columnist for ESPN wrote that Meche’s signing “received worse reviews than Eddie Murphy’s performance in ‘Norbit.’ ”)