MLB.com calls the 1993 acquisition of Fred McGriff the best trade deadline deal ever
Today's a day that will live in infamy around Atlanta sports - a press box fire in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium during batting practice delayed the start of that evening's game by multiple hours.
By the time play actually started, the tv and radio announcers were stationed in temporary setups in the stands. Atlanta won the game, and, true to the words of former Braves owner Ted Turner, caught fire that night.
Atlanta went 51-17 from that point on in the 1993 season, chasing down and passing the 103-win Giants to win the NL West by one game on the season's final day.
But that game is famous for one additional thing: the debut of new trade acquisition Fred McGriff. Coming from San Diego for three minor leaguers, McGriff hit a game-tying two run homer in the 6th inning against St. Louis in what would be an eventual five run comeback victory for Atlanta.
There's a lot going on with McGriff right now - he's set to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this Sunday.
MLB.com's Mark Bowman took the opportunity to reflect back on Braves trade deadline deals to determine if McGriff was actually the best one in team history.
A lot of it comes down to compensation - Atlanta's three prospects traded, Vince Moore, Donnie Elliott, and Melvin Nieves, didn't do enough in MLB to outweigh what McGriff brought to the Braves, where he helped win the 1995 World Series and was on the roster for four NL pennants in his five seasons.
Here's the other deadline deals MLB.com considered:
Jermaine Dye to the Oakland A's in 2001 - Atlanta wins because of long-term impact, as Dye produced only 2.8 WAR with Oakland while McGriff produced 11.1 WAR with Atlanta.
Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021 - Again, the long-term impact for Atlanta tilts this in their favor. Scherzer left after the 2021 season to sign with the New York Mets, while Turner left after 2022 to head to the Philadelphia Phillies.
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