Who?

Edgy DC
Jan 02 2009 09:55 AM
Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jan 02 2009 10:05 AM

Chipper Jones, on the free agent market:

<blockquote>Ten or 15 years ago, we could lure people to Atlanta strictly on reputation. You knew we were going to win, and we had a bunch of good players. Players would shun money from New York and take less to come here. For the past three seasons, we've kind of been on the downslide and not making the playoffs, so you can't do that anymore.</blockquote>Who are we talking about? Brian Jordan?

metirish
Jan 02 2009 10:00 AM

Greg Maddux ?

TransMonk
Jan 02 2009 10:12 AM

Yeah, I'm not sure what facts support Chipper's statement. Most of their run was made up of homegrown talent and timely trades and NOT the FA market.

McGriff was originally traded there but resigned
Andres Gallarraga
Brian Jordan
Vinnie Castilla

Come on, Chipper...

There may of been some supporting cast (bench and relief) that came in via FA, but I don't know that they were getting higher (or any) offers from big market clubs.

Edgy DC
Jan 02 2009 10:15 AM

There's a theory (Maddux), kicking it back to the 1992-1993 offeseason.

But Maddux immediately joined the top-five best compensated players in baseball, and, more importantly, pretty much stayed there for the next decade.

I guess you can count the year that Maddux passed on the free agent market and accepted the arbitration offer from the Braves, but that was as late as 2002-2003, his last with the team.

Edgy DC
Jan 02 2009 10:18 AM

="TransMonk":kpaexfnl]Yeah, I'm not sure what facts support Chipper's statement. Most of their run was made up of homegrown talent and timely trades and NOT the FA market.[/quote:kpaexfnl]
And that's plenty to be proud of your organization about, without having to roll out stories of the saints who walked away from the money to be a part of your scene.

metirish
Jan 02 2009 10:28 AM

Maybe the downslide started when Tom Glavine took the money and went to NY in 2002 and Jared Wright taking the money in 2005 can't have helped.

Edgy DC
Jan 02 2009 10:34 AM

None of that indicates the golden era when folks were bypassing the best offer on the market for the honor of smelling Chipper's jock.

soupcan
Jan 02 2009 10:35 AM

Tim Hudson accepting the trade and then staying?

metirish
Jan 02 2009 10:37 AM

Exactly , I can't think of anyone that spurned New York's money to go to Atlanta, maybe a few bullpen guys but I can't think who.I have a very vague memory when Valentine was here that some players may have bad mouthed NY because of him and went to Atlanta.

Frayed Knot
Jan 02 2009 10:56 AM

Maddux def spurned a higher Yanqui offer to sign there - but that's the only one I know of who came from outside. There are probably some re-ups who could have made more elsewhere but chose to stay.

Seems to me that most of their other bigger acquisitions were trades