This SBN piece about an MLB transaction that is nearly 20 years old really caught our eye. No, really, it did.
Back in 1992, Greg Maddux -- represented by agent Scott Boras -- took less money in free agency to sign with the Braves instead of going to the Yankees. New York offered 5 years, $34 million; Atlanta offered 5 years/$28 million. Why did perhaps the greatest pitcher of his generation go to the Braves? Did the Atlanta brass offer him unlimited, on-demand shoulder rubs from John Smoltz?
No. He went to the Braves because he wanted to play for a winner. The Yankees were coming off back-to-back sub.-500 seasons.
Is your mind sufficiently blown by all this? Per SBN, which nicely summarizes the craziness:
It's interesting to look back on a time that a Boras client didn't go for the biggest contract he could get. Which isn't to say that every Boras client is just going for contract maximization, but Boras does have something of a reputation, now, and there's the added factor that the Yankees' offer would've been the most lucrative deal ever signed by a pitcher. Maddux turned it down.
It's interesting to look back on a time that a free agent turned the Yankees down because he wanted to win. We remember that the Yankees had some lean years, but it's an easy period to forget about, and turning the Yankees down for that reason would sound silly now. Incidentally, Maddux would win with the Braves, but 1993 was the year the Yankees returned to being competitive. The Braves won the Series in 1995; the Yankees won the Series in 1996.
And it's interesting to look back on how different the 90s might have been had Maddux been swayed by money, or had the Braves not gotten involved. The Yankees would've been awesome either way, of course, but we remember Greg Maddux, Atlanta Brave. Maddux as a Brave was one of the players who defined the whole decade, and there's no telling how different the memories might be had Maddux worn pinstripes.
