[3] Matthews batted .281 during his 16-season major league career with the San Francisco Giants (1972–76), the Atlanta Braves (1977–80), the Philadelphia Phillies (1981–83), the Chicago Cubs (1984–87) and the Seattle Mariners (1987).

The terms included an annual $100,000 salary, a $125,000 bonus, a $250,000 investment account, an offseason job with Braves owner Ted Turner worth $50,000, $200,000 in commissions for his agent and $450,000 in deferred payments that brought an additional $300,000 in interest.

Turner's violation of free-agent rules in his pursuit of Matthews earned him a one-year suspension and the Braves were stripped of its first-round selection in the 1977 MLB draft.

[4] The denial of the draft pick was voided but Turner's suspension was upheld in Atlanta National League Baseball Club, Inc. v. Kuhn which was adjudicated on May 19, 1977.

Eligible to become a free agent again after the upcoming season, Matthews was acquired by the Phillies from the Braves for Bob Walk on March 25, 1981.

He homered 7 times in 19 playoff games and was voted the MVP of the 1983 NLCS after leading the Phillies past Los Angeles into the World Series.

Matthews was traded along with Bob Dernier and Porfi Altamirano from the Phillies to the Cubs for Bill Campbell and Mike Diaz on March 27, 1984.

After retiring as a player following the 1987 season, Matthews worked in private industry and broadcasting before joining the Cubs' organization in 1995 as minor league hitting coordinator, a position he held for three years.