In 1980, the Braves accomplished something they hadn’t done since: Finishing with more wins than losses. Offense wasn’t a problem — Dale Murphy finally blossomed, Bob Horner looked like the next great power hitter, Chris Chambliss provided stability and Gary Matthews, spark. Pitching was another story, as Phil Niekro and Tommy Boggs were the only Braves hurlers to finish with an ERA under 4.00.
So what to do? The free agent class didn’t offer much; the two best lefties, Bill Travers and Geoff Zahn, went to the biggest spender of the day, California’s Gene Autry. Don Sutton, then 36, was by far the class of that free agent class, coming off a year in which he posted the NL’s lowest ERA and WHIP.