Prior to the start of MLB's owner-imposed lockout last month, there was a free-agent frenzy unlike anything we've seen in recent baseball history. Maybe even in all of baseball history. , many in the week leading up to the expiration of the collective bargaining agreement. Signings came fast and furious.The teams that signed those free agents hope those players will help them win a championship Spencer Dinwiddie Jersey , or at least not decline to the point where they're a detriment. Free agency is a risky game. Spend smart and it can pay off immensely. Don't do your homework and you can be left with a contract that eats up payroll and reduces your chances at a title.With that in mind, let's take a look back at each team's best free-agent signing ever. To do that, we have to first set some ground rules. Here they are:Players who changed teams only. We're only going to look at players who left one team and joined another. Players who were traded to a new team and then re-signed with that team don't count, like Mike Piazza with the Mets.Major league players only. Players who signed and then spent several years in the minors don't count, like Aroldis Chapman with the Reds. We're looking at players who stepped right onto their new team's roster.Entire tenure matters. We're going to focus primarily on the initial contract, but if a player signs a one-year deal and Jeff Green Jersey it turns into a long-term tenure, the other years are considered too. Think Dexter Fowler with the Cubs. CBS Sports HQ Newsletter Your Ultimate Guide to Every Day in Sports We bring sports news that matters to your inbox, to help you stay informed and get a winning edge. I agree to receive the "CBS Sports HQ Newsletter" and marketing communications, updates, special offers (including partner offers), and other information from CBS Sports and the Paramount family of companies. By pre sing sign up, I confirm that I have read and agree to the . Please check the opt-in box to acknowledge that you would like to subscribe. Thanks for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. Sorry! There was an error proce sing your subscription. Free agency has been around since 1975 thanks to players who challenged the reserve clause, most notably Curt Flood, Andy Me sersmith, and Dave McNally. In 1976, MLB and the MLBPA agreed to the current system, in which players become free agents after accruing six years of service time. Not long after player salaries (and league revenues) grew exponentially. Now that the quick history le son is out of the way, let's get to each team's greatest ever free-agent signing. The teams are listed alphabetically. LHP Randy Johnson (four years, $52.4 million in Dec. 1998) Teams are listed alphabetically, though it's fitting we start with one of the best free-agent signings in history and easiest calls on our list. The D-Backs gave Johnson a four-year deal and he rewarded them with four Cy Youngs, a World Series title (he was World Series co-MVP), D'Angelo Russell Jersey and a 2.48 ERA with 1,417 strikeouts in 1,030 innings. Johnson hung around Arizona beyond his original four-year deal, though the four years covered by this contract were the apex of an inner-circle Hall of Fame career.Honorable mention:2B Jay Bell, OF Steve Finley, RHP Zack Greinke RHP Greg Maddux (five years, $28 million in Dec. 1992) The Braves landed Maddux, then only 26 and coming off his first Cy Young, with the richest pitching contract in history at the time. Over the next five years he finished first, first, first, fifth, and second in the Cy Young voting, and threw 1,156 1/3 innings with a 2.13 ERA. It is simply one of the greatest five-year stretches Jamal Crawford Jersey in baseball history. Maddux was also instrumental to the club's 1995 World Series win, their first title since the franchise moved to Atlanta in 1966. One of the greatest free-agent signings in sports history, hands down. Honorable mention:OF Brian Jordan, 3B Terry Pendleton, OF Lonnie Smith 1B Rafael Palmeiro (five years, $30.5 million in Dec. 1993) Palmeiro's career and tenure with the Orioles ended in shame, though that was his second stint with the team from 2004-05. From 1994-98, he was one of the game's top run producers, authoring a .292/.371/.545 batting line that was 34 percent better than the league average hitter once adjusted for ballpark. Palmeiro averaged 36 homers those five seasons and remember, 1994 and 1995 were shortened by the strike. He led the O's to the ALCS in 1996 and 1997. Honorable mention:2B Roberto Alomar DH David Ortiz (one year, $1.25 million in Jan. 2003) For reasons that will never make sense, the Twins non-tendered Ortiz following a 20-homer season in 2002, paving the way for the Red Sox to sign a player who would become a franchise legend. Big Papi slugged 31 homers with a .288/.369/.592 batting line in 2003, the first year of 14-year run in Boston. Ortiz helped the Red Sox end their 86-year World Series drought in 2004, and led them to two more titles in 2007 and 2013 as well.Honorable mention:OF Johnny Damon, OF/DH JD Martinez, OF Manny Ramirez LHP Jon Lester (six years, $155 million in Dec. 2014) DeAndre Jordan Jersey The Cubs were ready to make the jump from Lovable Loser to World Series contender in 2015 and Lester gave them a bona fide ace, and also brought legitimacy to their title hopes. He finished second in the Cy Young voting in 2016 and was a central figure in their first championship in 108 years. The last two years of the contract weren't pretty, but Lester pitched to a 3.33 ERA and averaged over 190 innings during the first four years of the deal. He was a true frontline starter who made a lasting impact on the franchise. Honorable mention:OF Moises Alou, OF Andre Dawson, UTIL Ben Zobrist C Carlton Fisk (five years, $2.9 million in March 1981) The Red Sox mi sed the deadline to tender Fisk a contract in Dec. 1980 and Kyrie Irving Jersey an arbitration panel declared him a free agent weeks later. Fisk didn't sign until after spring training opened, but he never mi sed a beat, going to the All-Star Game in 1981 and finishing third in the MVP voting in 1982. The Hall of Famer signed with the White Sox at 33 and some thought he was nearing the end of the line, but Fisk authored a .250/.315/.444 line with strong defense behind the plate during the five-year contract, and he hung around for another seven seasons on the South Side after that.Honorable mention: