With the Juan Soto free agency sweepstakes off and running, David Schoenfield of ESPN ranked the most valuable free agent signings of all time, and it’s not hard to guess which Braves Hall of Famer made the list — Greg Maddux.
Greg Maddux, 1992-93: Maddux was 27 and coming off his first Cy Young season when he signed with the Atlanta Braves, but he was really just becoming the legendary pitcher we remember at this point. (He won three more Cy Young Awards in a row after joining Atlanta.)
Back in December 1992, Maddux was coming off his first Cy Young Award following a campaign with the Cubs in which he posted a 20-11 record and 2.18 ERA.
The Braves, competing with the Yankees for Maddux’s services, gave the right-hander a five-year, $28 million contract. For the next 11 seasons, he would dominate baseball, going on to win the Cy Young Award for the next three seasons to go along with four other top five finishes in the voting.
In his time with the Braves, Maddux would lead the league in ERA, complete games, and innings pitched in each of his first three seasons in Atlanta, en route to those Cy Young Awards.
He won at least 15 games every year with the team, with an average year looking like — 18-8, 203 innings pitched, 6 complete games, 166 strikeouts, 35 BB, and a 2.63 ERA.
The Braves’ signing of Greg Maddux changed the trajectory of the franchise forever and maybe even the entire sport. Who knows what would’ve happened had The Professor signed with the Yankees?
—
You must log in to post a comment.