All-Time Best/Worst Free Agent Pitchers Part II The Boom!

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Mandatory Credit: Chris Trottman/Getty Images

BOOM

These teams struck it rich when they decided to break open the pocket books and upgrade their respective pitching staffs. Keep in mind that multiple year free agent contracts are usually only given to pitchers that have successfully stayed healthy for a long period of time. Traditionally, free agent pitchers are in their late twenties, so five-to-seven year contracts are rare. In order to be represented on this list, the player has to be declared a free agent by Major League Baseball.

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Extensions like the San Francisco Giants agreed to with Madison Bumgarner (six-years-$35.56 million) are not eligible for this list. The extension was not a free agent contract. This extension by the Giants has already paid huge dividends, making their management seem like geniuses. Bumgarner was unstoppable in the playoffs leading the Giants to the World Series crown. To lock up a player of that caliber before his free agent years is a move more and more teams are adopting.

Obviously players on this list made the entire contract seem like a deal regardless of the cost. Health will be a deciding factor in showing up on this boom list. Pitching can be a strenuous activity, and pitchers go down all the time. A pitcher’s fitness and how they take care of themselves during the off-season can be key. Again this is an opinion and you are welcome to share yours, I would be more than interested in hearing what you guys dig up for yourselves.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Tom Glavine New York Mets (2003) 4 years-$44.5 million

Nolan Ryan Texas Rangers (1989) 1 year-$1.6 million

Bruce Hurst San Diego Padres (1989) 3 years-$5.25 million

Mandatory Credit: katdish.net

#5 Nolan Ryan, Houston Astros (1980) 4 years-$4.4 million

Following the 1979 season, stud pitcher Nolan Ryan was a free agent for the first time. He had eight great seasons with the California Angels, compiling a 138-121 record with a 3.07 ERA. He recorded an amazing 2416 strike outs in 2181 innings. Ryan had blossomed as an Angel after the Mets decided to deal the young right-hander. He totaled 5 All-Star appearances in his time in Los Angeles, but longed to return to his home state of Texas.

The Houston Astros came and swept Nolan Ryan off his feet before the start of the 1980 season. Being a native Texan, with a chance to pitch back home, it was really a no-brainer. The Astros stepped up, making a record $4.4 million dollar offer for four seasons. Ryan rewarded them right away, when he hit a three-run homer off Don Sutton in a nationally televised game on April 12th, 1980. As far as the contract, Ryan got a pretty nice raise from the $200,000 the Angels had been paying him for the last three seasons. In one season with the Astros ($1,125,000.00), Ryan was about to make more than he did in his whole tenure with the Angels ($1,024,000.00).

The Astros were rewarded handsomely with four excellent seasons from their new ace. 52 wins in the first four years, and an ERA of 2.54 was excellent, but the presence he provided to the pitching staff was priceless. The value on the contract for the time was very excessive, but when you compare to this day and age, it was an absolute steal. On September 26th, 1981 Nolan Ryan threw his fifth no-hitter against the Los Angeles Dodgers, striking out 11. The Astros went on the playoffs the first two seasons with Nolan Ryan, but fell in the playoffs to the Phillies (1980) and the Dodgers (1981). All and all, the Astros got value and then some out of this future Hall Of Famer.

Mandatory Credit: NYDN

#4 Mike Mussina, New York Yankees (2001) 6 years-$88.5 million

$88.5 million dollars is a lot to spend on a 31-year old pitcher, and six years is a long investment as well, but he did perform well in the Yankee pinstripes. Mike Mussina didn’t win Cy Young Awards with the Yankees, nor did he win 20 games until his last year, which was an extension year with the team.

He did however, provide quality starts every fifth day, and his leadership in the clubhouse was truly priceless. Being a team player can be very important when constructing a championship team. 92 wins and a 3.65 ERA in the term of the six-year deal was not too bad a return on the Yankee investment. 187 total games started and a WHIP at 1.003 during the contract.

He was awarded three Gold Gloves while a Yankee, but the team never managed a World Series title while he was there. As a team, they fell short of their ultimate goal, but value-wise, the Yankees got a lot for their money. Mussina went on to retire after posting a 20-9 record with a 3.37 earned run average and a 1.223 WHIP. He finished sixth in the Cy Young Award balloting that year, but at the age of 40, decided to hang them up despite still being an effective pitcher.

Mandatory Credit: fox5vegas.com

#3 Greg Maddux, Atlanta Braves (1993) 5 years-$28 million

Greg Maddux won the Cy Young Award in his last year with his old team, the Chicago Cubs. He was steadily improving every year and the Cy Young couldn’t have came at a better time. The 26-year old had instantly boosted his value and he retained the services of Scott Boras as his agent. The Cubs and Boras immediately went head-to-head with a battle of words. Each side accusing the other of not negotiating in good faith. Imagine that, a team having a hard time negotiating with Scott Boras.

It got messy, and along came the Atlanta Braves. Looking to add to a rotation that was already deep with the likes of John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Steve Avery, the Braves went hard after Maddux. The Cubs decided to spend their money elsewhere with the additions of Jose Guzman, Dan Plesac and Candy Maldonado. All horrible moves when it comes down to losing their homegrown ace. Boras once again, frustrated a team to the point that they don’t make a smart baseball decision.

The Braves landed an ace and an unstoppable starting rotation was born. Maddux immediately rewarded the Braves with three straight Cy Young Awards and went 89-33 with a 2.14 ERA in the four years of the contract. He did so well with the team that they decided to have him stick around for six more years. Even though only one World Series title resulted in his time there, he was truly a steal at the price the Braves initially paid for his services.

Mandatory Credit: 9.newsachrive.com

#2 Roger Clemens, Toronto Blue Jays (1997) 4 years-$40 million

Roger Clemens has the distinction of being the only player on both sides of this list. After 12 seasons with the Boston Red Sox in which he won 192 games, the 35-year old Clemens was eligible for free agency for the first time. A long-time Red Sox, he had a tough decision to make. Most in Boston felt he was clearly on the downside of his career, boy were they wrong.

General Manager of the Red Sox at the time, Dan Duquette, was said to have offered more money than the Blue Jays did, but “The Rocket” decided to leave Beantown. He immediately paid off for the Blue Jays as he won back-to-back Cy Young Awards in 1997 and 1998. 41-13 with a 2.33 ERA and 1.061 WHIP was an excellent start to the contract. Two Cy Young Awards in two years was amazing, what else could you ask for? Guess they wanted more as Clemens was dealt after winning the second award.

Before the start of the 1999 season, Clemens was dealt to the New York Yankees for David Wells, Homer Bush and Graeme Lloyd. A pretty decent return, as it should have been since he was pitching so well. He wasn’t quite the dominant pitcher he was in Toronto, but the Yankees went on to win a pair of World Series in 1999 and 2000. Clemens did win another Cy Young in 2001. Total value on the contract was three Cy Young Awards and two World Series titles, not too bad.

Mandatory Credit: kvoa.com

#1 Randy Johnson, Arizona Diamondbacks (1999) 4 years-$53 million

At the end of the 1998 season, there was a lottery going around all of baseball, it was called the Randy Johnson Sweepstakes. Johnson had failed to work out an extension with the Seattle Mariners and the team had to move him at the trade deadline that year. The Mariners had talked about re-signing him, then they didn’t and dealt him at the trade deadline.

The winner of the sweepstakes was the Houston Astros. He was traded to Houston for Freddie Garcia, Carlos Guillen and John Halama. Johnson went on to be flat out dominant for the Astros in posting a 10-1 record with a 1.28 ERA. He totaled 116 strikeouts in 84 1/3 innings and threw four shutouts. He powered the Astros all the way to the playoffs until they ran into a Buzz Saw called The San Diego Padres.

In the winter of 1998, Randy Johnson agreed to a four-year contract with a fifth year option to return to his home state of Arizona and play for the new expansion team. Remarkably, Randy Johnson won the Cy Young Award all four years of the contract. An 81-27 record with a 2.42 ERA and a 1.020 WHIP during those four years.

He powered the team along with Curt Schilling to a World Series title in 2001. Randy Johnson was one of the most dominant starting pitchers in the history of the game, and more than justified his hefty price tag! Four Cy Young Awards in each year and a World Series title to a brand new franchise makes Randy Johnson the all-time best free agent signing!

Next: The Best & Worst Free Agent Pitchers of All-Time Part I

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