Worst Contracts in Baseball
markj111
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Interesting article at http://joeposnanski.blogspot.com/2011/10/worst-contracts-in-baseball.html
Excerpt:
The Ryan Howard deal is a looming disaster, and it hasn't even started yet. He turns 32 in November, and players with his skill set sometimes take a precipitous fall in their early 30s. The truth is, with Howard, the decline started a while ago. For four years -- from 2006-2009 -- he crushed a lot of home runs. This fed his whole game. It gave him impressive RBI numbers. It sparked teams to intentionally walk him a lot, puffing up his on-base percentage. The last two years, his home runs have dropped, he didn't even slug .500 in 2011, and managers no longer fear him as much. His inability to hit lefties has become a defining quality. The Cardinals in these playoffs intentionally walked the perfectly fine but hardly intimidating Hunter Pence in order to FACE Ryan Howard.
Excerpt:
The Ryan Howard deal is a looming disaster, and it hasn't even started yet. He turns 32 in November, and players with his skill set sometimes take a precipitous fall in their early 30s. The truth is, with Howard, the decline started a while ago. For four years -- from 2006-2009 -- he crushed a lot of home runs. This fed his whole game. It gave him impressive RBI numbers. It sparked teams to intentionally walk him a lot, puffing up his on-base percentage. The last two years, his home runs have dropped, he didn't even slug .500 in 2011, and managers no longer fear him as much. His inability to hit lefties has become a defining quality. The Cardinals in these playoffs intentionally walked the perfectly fine but hardly intimidating Hunter Pence in order to FACE Ryan Howard.
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WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
although Zito's is not with the most money remaining but he hasn't had a winning season since going from A's to SF.
i remember the Giants paying "moon money" (back then) for a left handed starter. i think he's the manager at SD now
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8 years, $140 million. Or $35 million for each wife.
<< <i>Arod's last contract, AJ Burnett, John Lackey, Carl Crawford and Mike Hampton. >>
The list is for current contracts only. ARod, Lackey, and Crawford made the list.
<< <i>JD Drew might be the worst ever >>
Not even close, IMHO. Five years, $70 million. Two good years, two decent years.
<< <i>Barry Zito. He signed a huge 7 year contract, which has 2 years left on it ($19m for 2012, $20m for 2013), and a $7m buyout in 2014. The dude's been awful. This season, he got pushed to the bullpen at the end, and will go into Spring Training being the 6th or 7th option for a 5 man rotation. >>
After reading that blog the Zito contract actually doesn't seem so bad. Sure it's probably the worst contract in Giants history but they aren't the Red Sox.
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<< <i>Lee's contract could have been a contender at one time, but he has only one year left. >>
His opinions are all speculation of what potentially could be terrible contracts.
Carlos Lee has sucked donkey peepee.
Wait let me rephrase that.
Carlos Lee hasn't just sucked donkey peepee, he eats them too.
And then, we're paying him $18.5MM next year.
It has been, and will continue to be, the worst contract in MLB.
<< <i>
<< <i>JD Drew might be the worst ever >>
Not even close, IMHO. Five years, $70 million. Two good years, two decent years. >>
Ok I can see your "two decent years" but please show me where he had 2 good years in Boston cause Im sure as hell not seeing it.
And Im 99% sure most Sox Fans would trade the contracts/production between JD Drew and Ryan Howard...Philly knew what they were getting with Howard when they signed him- HR and RBI's and those Numbers whether they are declining or not are there. Compare Howards contract to JD Drew, Dice K, Arod and others mentioned and you might see that Philly didnt too bad with Him, certainly not even close to the worst Contract ever, not even remotely close.
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>JD Drew might be the worst ever >>
Not even close, IMHO. Five years, $70 million. Two good years, two decent years. >>
Ok I can see your "two decent years" but please show me where he had 2 good years in Boston cause Im sure as hell not seeing it.
And Im 99% sure most Sox Fans would trade the contracts/production between JD Drew and Ryan Howard...Philly knew what they were getting with Howard when they signed him- HR and RBI's and those Numbers whether they are declining or not are there. Compare Howards contract to JD Drew, Dice K, Arod and others mentioned and you might see that Philly didnt too bad with Him, certainly not even close to the worst Contract ever, not even remotely close. >>
His numbers are what they are. In two years his OPS+ was in the 130s (one year he was in the top ten), and in two others it was above average. I gather that you have a dislike for Mr. Drew. No way is his contract the worst ever. How many pitchers received more money for less production? Hampton, Neagle, and Zito come to mind at once.
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>JD Drew might be the worst ever >>
Not even close, IMHO. Five years, $70 million. Two good years, two decent years. >>
Ok I can see your "two decent years" but please show me where he had 2 good years in Boston cause Im sure as hell not seeing it.
And Im 99% sure most Sox Fans would trade the contracts/production between JD Drew and Ryan Howard...Philly knew what they were getting with Howard when they signed him- HR and RBI's and those Numbers whether they are declining or not are there. Compare Howards contract to JD Drew, Dice K, Arod and others mentioned and you might see that Philly didnt too bad with Him, certainly not even close to the worst Contract ever, not even remotely close. >>
I disagree. Howard's RBI's are also a product of a great deal of opportunities presented to him.
But it is about Howard's current contract that is scary. His last four years are about as good as Dave Kingman's(taking era and lineup into account), at a similar age. His next five as a whole may get very scary....and he will be making a ton in those years. THAT is the key! THough I don't think it will get to Barry Zito proportions by any means.
With only one WS to their credit during his reign, one can no longer say it was worth it based on past glory either....and he wasn't even the best player on that team.
And Im 99% sure most Sox Fans would trade the contracts/production between JD Drew and Ryan Howard...Philly knew what they were getting with Howard when they signed him- HR and RBI's and those Numbers whether they are declining or not are there. Compare Howards contract to JD Drew, Dice K, Arod and others mentioned and you might see that Philly didnt too bad with Him, certainly not even close to the worst Contract ever, not even remotely close.
2008 & 2009 where he posted respective 4.1 & 4.9 WAR.
2008 - .280/.408/.519, +9.9 UZR/150
2009 - .279/.392/.522, +15.9 UZR/150
4.1 & 4.9 WAR are worth $18.4M and $22.2M. He made $14M in those two years. I know he was frustrating to Red Sox fans with the injuries and falloff over the last year and a half, but he earned $59M of the $70M he was paid. That's a good contract in relation to other post-ARB free agents. The Lackey contract will turn out to be far worse than JD Drew.
<< <i>Ok I can see your "two decent years" but please show me where he had 2 good years in Boston cause Im sure as hell not seeing it.
And Im 99% sure most Sox Fans would trade the contracts/production between JD Drew and Ryan Howard...Philly knew what they were getting with Howard when they signed him- HR and RBI's and those Numbers whether they are declining or not are there. Compare Howards contract to JD Drew, Dice K, Arod and others mentioned and you might see that Philly didnt too bad with Him, certainly not even close to the worst Contract ever, not even remotely close.
2008 & 2009 where he posted respective 4.1 & 4.9 WAR.
2008 - .280/.408/.519, +9.9 UZR/150
2009 - .279/.392/.522, +15.9 UZR/150
4.1 & 4.9 WAR are worth $18.4M and $22.2M. He made $14M in those two years. I know he was frustrating to Red Sox fans with the injuries and falloff over the last year and a half, but he earned $59M of the $70M he was paid. That's a good contract in relation to other post-ARB free agents. The Lackey contract will turn out to be far worse than JD Drew. >>
I wont argue that Lackys contract will be worse
As for Drew and his "Good Years" You can pull up any geek baseball stats you want, and I couldnt care less about any other numbers you come up with either- to say he had good years and earned 59mill out of the 70mill is absolute BS, gimme a friken break, 18-22 mill should hit .300 and be on the godam field, and with the lineup around him he didnt score 100 runs nor did he have 100 RBI, the guy showed ZERO emotion and was a heartless piece of chit as far as Im concerned.
<< <i>
<< <i>Ok I can see your "two decent years" but please show me where he had 2 good years in Boston cause Im sure as hell not seeing it.
And Im 99% sure most Sox Fans would trade the contracts/production between JD Drew and Ryan Howard...Philly knew what they were getting with Howard when they signed him- HR and RBI's and those Numbers whether they are declining or not are there. Compare Howards contract to JD Drew, Dice K, Arod and others mentioned and you might see that Philly didnt too bad with Him, certainly not even close to the worst Contract ever, not even remotely close.
2008 & 2009 where he posted respective 4.1 & 4.9 WAR.
2008 - .280/.408/.519, +9.9 UZR/150
2009 - .279/.392/.522, +15.9 UZR/150
4.1 & 4.9 WAR are worth $18.4M and $22.2M. He made $14M in those two years. I know he was frustrating to Red Sox fans with the injuries and falloff over the last year and a half, but he earned $59M of the $70M he was paid. That's a good contract in relation to other post-ARB free agents. The Lackey contract will turn out to be far worse than JD Drew. >>
I wont argue that Lackys contract will be worse
As for Drew and his "Good Years" You can pull up any geek baseball stats you want, and I couldnt care less about any other numbers you come up with either- to say he had good years and earned 59mill out of the 70mill is absolute BS, gimme a friken break, 18-22 mill should hit .300 and be on the godam field, and with the lineup around him he didnt score 100 runs nor did he have 100 RBI, the guy showed ZERO emotion and was a heartless piece of chit as far as Im concerned. >>
well reasoned, excellent analysis. I can see why a guy who posted 900+ OPS in those years wasn't of any use to you. The main problem is the Francona/Red Sox weren't smart enough to hit him second in the order to maximize their investment. btw, maybe Tito should have left Drew in the #3 spot where he had 190 PAs in 2008, he posted .280/.416/.631, 12 HRs, 33 runs, 31 RBIs, then promptly moved down to the #6 hole to placate D.Ortiz who had inferior numbers. He would have scored 100 runs if he didn't have Lowell's .274/.338/.461, or Varitek's .220/.313/.359 sucking it up behind him. Tough to score runs when you have a couple utility infielders hitting behind you.
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>Ok I can see your "two decent years" but please show me where he had 2 good years in Boston cause Im sure as hell not seeing it.
And Im 99% sure most Sox Fans would trade the contracts/production between JD Drew and Ryan Howard...Philly knew what they were getting with Howard when they signed him- HR and RBI's and those Numbers whether they are declining or not are there. Compare Howards contract to JD Drew, Dice K, Arod and others mentioned and you might see that Philly didnt too bad with Him, certainly not even close to the worst Contract ever, not even remotely close.
2008 & 2009 where he posted respective 4.1 & 4.9 WAR.
2008 - .280/.408/.519, +9.9 UZR/150
2009 - .279/.392/.522, +15.9 UZR/150
4.1 & 4.9 WAR are worth $18.4M and $22.2M. He made $14M in those two years. I know he was frustrating to Red Sox fans with the injuries and falloff over the last year and a half, but he earned $59M of the $70M he was paid. That's a good contract in relation to other post-ARB free agents. The Lackey contract will turn out to be far worse than JD Drew. >>
I wont argue that Lackys contract will be worse
As for Drew and his "Good Years" You can pull up any geek baseball stats you want, and I couldnt care less about any other numbers you come up with either- to say he had good years and earned 59mill out of the 70mill is absolute BS, gimme a friken break, 18-22 mill should hit .300 and be on the godam field, and with the lineup around him he didnt score 100 runs nor did he have 100 RBI, the guy showed ZERO emotion and was a heartless piece of chit as far as Im concerned. >>
well reasoned, excellent analysis. I can see why a guy who posted 900+ OPS in those years wasn't of any use to you. The main problem is the Francona/Red Sox weren't smart enough to hit him second in the order to maximize their investment. btw, maybe Tito should have left Drew in the #3 spot where he had 190 PAs in 2008, he posted .280/.416/.631, 12 HRs, 33 runs, 31 RBIs, then promptly moved down to the #6 hole to placate D.Ortiz who had inferior numbers. He would have scored 100 runs if he didn't have Lowell's .274/.338/.461, or Varitek's .220/.313/.359 sucking it up behind him. Tough to score runs when you have a couple utility infielders hitting behind you. >>
Did I leave out that he was made of glass and was a total wimp? Yea those things do matter when you talk of a big ticket free agent signing being a waste of money, and again draw up any numbers you want and they equal -not worth it.
1. Drew had a history of injuries when the Red Sox acquired him. They knew what they were getting.
2. Three of his five highest PA totals came in his years with the Red Sox.
I still think Zito's contract is/was the worst in baseball.
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Not understanding the value of OB% and such, and using inferior measurements...that is another thing.
How do you guys know if he cared or didn't care if they won or lost? Are you in his mind?
In the end, Drew wasn't worth the money he got. But it isn't as bad as you guys are making it out to be...and not nearly as bad as some of the other guys who were worthless and got paid millions.
<< <i>How do you guys know if he cared or didn't care if they won or lost? Are you in his mind? >>
You are giving Drew too much credit. I'm fairly certain he has no mind.
1. Wells
2. Arod
3. Crawford
4. Howard
5. Zito
6. Lackey
7. Soriano
8. Dunn
9. Werth
10. Teixeira
<< <i>Us folks in the NW would say Carlos Silva is probably tops around here. Sexson might be a close second. Good ol' Bavasi.... >>
Carlos Silva's contract was brutal. $15m a year to put up an 8+ ERA. Nice work if you can get it.
Sexson's contract was big but not horrible. .263/39/121 and .264/34/107 his first two years - not bad at all. His third (and final) year was tough .205/21/63.
Even though it wasn't for huge money, I'd mention Scott Spiezio. Hit a whopping .215 his first year and just .064 his second.
How about the contracts of Mike Hampton and Denny Neagle?
And to the guy who mentioned Juan Gonzalez - Juan Gone never signed the contract he was offered. The Tigers offered him 8 years for $140M but he hated the cold weather and deep fences - which the Tigers moved in just for him - at Comerica so much that he turned it down. Big mistake - he made less than $40M the rest of his career after that.
Tabe
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<< <i>Saying Drew was often hurt, thus not worth his money, is one thing....and tough to argue against.
Not understanding the value of OB% and such, and using inferior measurements...that is another thing.
How do you guys know if he cared or didn't care if they won or lost? Are you in his mind?
In the end, Drew wasn't worth the money he got. But it isn't as bad as you guys are making it out to be...and not nearly as bad as some of the other guys who were worthless and got paid millions. >>
Just watch him everyday.
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<< <i>greg oden.....oops wrong sport lol, but for all he played he might as well have been on the mariners lineup >>
Bill Simmons was so right about Oden. Before he even got drafted, Simmons said that Oden walked like a guy who was 50 or 60 years old. He didn't move at all like a world class 19 year old athlete. His prediction was that Oden would be a bust and be destroyed by injuries. He was right.
Tabe
<< <i>
<< <i>greg oden.....oops wrong sport lol, but for all he played he might as well have been on the mariners lineup >>
Bill Simmons was so right about Oden. Before he even got drafted, Simmons said that Oden walked like a guy who was 50 or 60 years old. He didn't move at all like a world class 19 year old athlete. His prediction was that Oden would be a bust and be destroyed by injuries. He was right.
Tabe >>
it is kinda funny on facebook he said he wants the strikje to end so he could start playing again i had to laugh!!!
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