By Jonah Sharf
On November 28, 1989, Rickey Henderson signed a four-year, $12 million deal with the Oakland Athletics that tied him for richest contract in MLB history at the time. The deal was also the first four-year deal signed in almost half a decade, making Henderson a pioneer for longer-term contracts for baseball players. This was part of Henderson’s second stint with Oakland, one in which he would help them win two World Series titles — in 1989 and 1993. Henderson was known as one of the best baserunners and leadoff hitters in MLB history, and was a first-ballot Hall of famer.