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Biggest Free Agent Haul

Edgy MD

By Edgy MD
in New York Mets Talk

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Edgy MD FCL Mets

Edgy MD

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I was thinking about the Royals the other day, and thinking that it's amazing to think that twice in their history they hauled in (perhaps) the biggest free agent on the market. That led me to thinking... what was the best free agent heist for each Major League team? Not necessarily the free agent who turned out the best for them, but the one who was the biggest name on the day he signed, whether he worked out or not. And no re-signees either.

Help me out.

Baltimore Orioles:
Boston Red Sox: Daisuke Matsuzaka?
New York Yankees: Dave Winfield (Everybody else)
Tampa Bay Rays:
Toronto Blue Jays: Roger Clemens?

Chicago White Sox: Albert Belle
Cleveland Indians:
Detroit Tigers: Juan Gonzalez
Kansas City Royals: David Cone (Mark Davis)
Minnesota Twins:

Los Angeles (Anaheim) Angels Mo Vaughn (Rod Carew)
Oakland A's:
Seattle Mariners: Ichiro Suzuki (John Olerud)
Texas Rangers: Alex Rodriguez

Atlanta Braves:
Miami (and Florida) Marlins: Carlos Delgado
Philadelphia Phillies: Cliff Lee (Jim Thome, Lance Parrish)
New York Mets: Carlos Beltr�n (Pedro Martinez, Bobby Bonilla, Andy Hassler)
Washington Nationals (and Montreal Expos): Jayson Werth

Cincinnati Reds: Dave Parker
Chicago Cubs: Alfonso Soriano?
Houston Astros: Nolan Ryan
Milwaukee Brewers:
Pittsburgh Pirates:
St. Louis Cardinals:

Arizona Diamondbacks: Randy Johnson
Colorado Rockies: Mike Hampton
Los Angeles Dodgers: Darryl Strawberry
San Diego Padres: Steve Garvey
San Francisco Giants: Barry Zito


Guest metsguyinmichigan

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Was Vice Coleman the biggest name out there when we signed him? (Talk about ones you wish you could take back...)


HahnSolo Prep Ball

HahnSolo

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Manny for the BoSox.

Wish I could think of all these before hitting submit multiple tiimes.


Edgy MD FCL Mets

Edgy MD

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metsguyinmichigan wrote:
Was Vice Coleman the biggest name out there when we signed him? (Talk about ones you wish you could take back...)


Well, no, Darryl Strawberry was, and he was some sloppy-assed seconds.

But even arguing that he was the best player out there after Strawberry that season, he was no Beltran.

Manny --- of course.


Edgy MD FCL Mets

Edgy MD

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Baltimore Orioles:
Boston Red Sox: Manny Ramirez (Daisuke Matsuzaka)
New York Yankees: Dave Winfield (or Reggie Jackson or Everybody else)
Tampa Bay Rays:
Toronto Blue Jays: Roger Clemens?

Chicago White Sox: Albert Belle
Cleveland Indians:
Detroit Tigers: Juan Gonzalez
Kansas City Royals: David Cone (Mark Davis)
Minnesota Twins:

Los Angeles (Anaheim) Angels Mo Vaughn (Rod Carew)
Oakland A's:
Seattle Mariners: Ichiro Suzuki (John Olerud)
Texas Rangers: Alex Rodriguez

Atlanta Braves: Greg Maddux
Miami (and Florida) Marlins: Carlos Delgado
Philadelphia Phillies: Cliff Lee (Jim Thome, Lance Parrish)
New York Mets: Carlos Beltr�n (Pedro Martinez, Bobby Bonilla, Andy Hassler)
Washington Nationals (and Montreal Expos): Jayson Werth

Cincinnati Reds: Dave Parker
Chicago Cubs: Alfonso Soriano?
Houston Astros: Nolan Ryan
Milwaukee Brewers:
Pittsburgh Pirates:
St. Louis Cardinals:

Arizona Diamondbacks: Randy Johnson
Colorado Rockies: Mike Hampton
Los Angeles Dodgers: Darryl Strawberry (Kevin Brown)
San Diego Padres: Steve Garvey
San Francisco Giants: Barry Bonds (Barry Zito)


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Garvey for the Padres, unless he was traded there.

Joe Rudi to the Angels was a big move as I remember it.

Brewers: Randy Wolf. Reds made a celebrated/mocked move for Francisco Cordero not long ago.

Blue Jays could be Clemens or Burnett even. Both used douchebags by the time they got to MFY's.

Cardinals signed Holliday as a FA, if he qualifies.


Frayed Knot FCL Mets

Frayed Knot

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Or go back to the original big Yanqui FA: Catfish Hunter - although I suppose you could argue that he was the only FA in his year since he had become one due to a contract violation by Oakland owner Charlie Finley and not the play-out-your-option process that came up a year or three later.
Still, if you are the only FA that year you're sort of by definition the biggest.

Also Fisk leaving the BoSox for the ChiSox was triggered by a similar contract snafu.


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For the A's: Esteban Loaiza? Frank Thomas that one year?


Edgy MD FCL Mets

Edgy MD

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batmagadanleadoff wrote:
Albert Belle -- Orioles. How 'bout Reggie/MFY's?


Yeah, I'm going with Reggie over Winnie.

I was kind of loathe to include Albert Belle a second time. The Orioles dropped a ton of money for him, but there was something sloppy seconds about the whole affair.


Edgy MD FCL Mets

Edgy MD

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Ortiz was certainly among their best, eventually, but I was thinking which was the biggest on the day it went down, and that went under the radar.

Unlike the Tom Hausman deal, which launched a press conference featuring the Rockettes, traffic stopping in Times Square, parades, and joyful incredulity throughout Metdom.


smg58 College Ball

smg58

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The Bobby Bonilla signing might have been bigger than either Pedro or Carlos taken individually.

Has to be Reggie for the Yankees.

Holliday was traded to Oakland before he signed with St. Louis.


smg58 College Ball

smg58

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Vlad is an interesting case. Like Vaughn, he was an elite power hitter when he signed, but the Vlad signing may have been bigger news in New York than it was nationally on account of him not coming here. It's tough to gauge the Carew signing in comparison. One, my memory is hazy that far back, but I don't remember it being huge news given a lot of other big-name FA signings. On the other hand, Carew is in Cooperstown while Vaughn is not and Vlad wasn't quite that level either.


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