How a heart attack led to Hall of Famer Greg Maddux spurning Yankees for Braves

Hall-of-Fame pitcher Greg Maddux set the record straight about picking the Atlanta Braves when he was a free agent in December 1992, and it sure is disheartening for the Yankees.

According to Maddux, he had decided to sign with the Yankees, but never received an official offer because a team executive suffered a heart attack while he was in New York to cement the deal.

This new development, which was shared by Maddux this week when he appeared on David Cone’s “Toeing the Slab” podcast, contradicts decades-ago reports that the legendary right-hander had turned down $34 million over five seasons from the Yankees to sign a five-year, $28-million deal with Atlanta….

“Oh, I was there. I went there to sign with the Yankees. I was shocked. I didn’t get offered a contract. It’s not college. I didn’t go there just for a recruiting trip. You kind of go there to sign the contract and everything. I had the nice day. I went around. I went to a show. I went to dinner. They said they’d be in touch with a contract offer and I’ve heard bits and pieces over the years, but I don’t know who it was …. Some of the higher-ups, one of the guys had a heart attack and that’s why I wasn’t made an offer. Gene Michael was the GM at the time. (Owner George) Steinbrenner was out of baseball. He was suspended and whoever was calling the shots then apparently had a heart attack. So I didn’t have a contract offer. So I got on the plane and went home.”