Los Angeles Dodgers: Five greatest free agent signings of all-time
By Jamaal Artis
The Los Angeles Dodgers did not sign any of the big-three free agents this offseason but have made some excellent signings in past years.
As the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings take place the Dodgers found themselves in contention to make a splash by signing elite pitching free agent Gerrit Cole or all-star third basemen Anthony Rendon.
They did not land either of the stars and now the fans are hoping for a big-name trade.
If the Dodgers were to pull off a signing of that magnitude there would be a good chance they can get back to World Series and perhaps end their 30 years plus title drought.
Looking back at their history, there are significant signing made in past off-seasons that have led to great players putting their mark in Dodgers history these are the top five such signings.
5. Kevin Brown signs winter 1999
Had Kevin Brown not had so many injuries then perhaps he would be higher on the list, had he not been a malcontent perhaps he would have been beloved by Dodgers fans. Despite the up and down tenure he had with the Dodgers, make no mistake, the 1999 winter signing of Kevin Brown is one of the best.
In his five years with Dodgers Brown went 58-32, had an ERA of 2.83 while striking out 784 batters and an ERA+ of 147. In his first season with the team he won 18 games, the following year he led the NL in ERA at 2.58, in both seasons he struck out more than 220 batters.
After starting off great, things went downhill as Brown struggled with arm injuries and as the first 100 million dollar free agent his contract looked worse with every missed start. After starting 68 games in his first two seasons Brown would only start 37 over the next two.
In his final season with the Dodgers in 2003 at the age of 38, Brown righted the ship going 14-9 with a 2.39 ERA. The next off-season the Dodgers traded Brown to the Yankees and made the playoffs, ensuring that Brown was probably the greatest Dodgers pitcher to never pitch in the playoffs with them.