Braves $28 million free agent signing ranked as 2nd-best in MLB history

Every year, teams around Major League Baseball sign players to free agent deals in hopes of landing an impact player for many years to come.

While not every signing is going to work out, there are plenty that do turn into massive moves for the team. For the Atlanta Braves, they've seen a lot of positives in the free agent market over the years, but one stands out above the rest.

As ESPN's Bradford Doolittle notes, the Braves $28 million free agent signing from back in 1993 with Greg Maddux was ranked as the 2nd-best signing in MLB history since free agency was implemented 50 years ago.

Braves' Greg Maddux signing 2nd best free agent deal in MLB history

"2. Greg Maddux (1,173.6 points). First year: 1993 | Team: Braves. Initial terms: 5 years, $28.0 million | bWAR: 66.1," Doolittle writes.

That point total (1,173.6) is over 300 more than the third-best deal with David Ortiz (818.3), and is less than half of Barry Bonds (2,563.6).

Maddux was a massive free agent signing for the Braves, coming in at $28 million over five seasons. That comes out to just $5.6 million per-year, which is a very good value for what Maddux turned into.

Such a deal would look a lot different in today's free agent market, but at the time, it wasn't a small deal and was not too far off from Barry Bonds from the same offseason, who signed for six years at $43.8 million.

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But Maddux was one of the best pitchers in baseball after signing with the Braves, posting a 163 ERA+ and a 194-88 record with three Cy Young wins in 11 total seasons in Atlanta after signing this deal.

His first five seasons featured three Cy Young awards (in the first three years of this deal), along with some high-quality numbers in the Braves' rotation that won it all in 1995.

Maddux is a Hall of Famer and one of the best pitchers in MLB history. He made his mark in Atlanta, and this $5.6 million APY deal was a steal for the Braves. 

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