- 7,834
- 4,835
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2003
Joe Posnanski from SI.com posted this up this week....
OK, here you go — my list of the 10 worst contracts in baseball at the moment (and what’s left on those deals):
1. Vernon Wells, three years, $63 million
I love that in order to get their hands on this death-defying contract, the Angels traded away Mike Napoli, who ended up getting traded back into their division, where he might have been the most valuable player on the division-winning Texas Rangers. There is just layer upon layer of madness here.
To be fair: Wells has shown the ability to lift his game during even-year seasons, and he does have two of those left on this deal. But let’s not kid anybody. Wells, 32, had a .248 on-base percentage in 2011. That’s two four eight. The last qualifying outfielder to have an OBP that low? I’m sure you already know: George Barclay. Yeah. Oh, wait, you didn’t know that? Right, that was in 1904. Wells’ was the lowest on-base percentage for an outfielder in more than 100 years. Wells, from what I’ve heard, is a good guy, and people love having him around the clubhouse, and he’s had some superb years. But this is the worst current contract in baseball, and perhaps the worst ever (it was originally a seven-year, $126 million deal).
2. A-Rod, six years, $153 million
I could be wrong, certainly. He looked good enough in spring training this year that some people were actually predicting an MVP-type season from the guy. But I’ve thought for a couple of years, and think even more now, that it looks all downhill from here. I’ve been on record for a while now as saying that A-Rod will not set the all-time home run record (he needs 134 more).
3. Carl Crawford, six years, $128 million
Crawford (.255/.289/.405 in his Boston debut) could rebound. You might even say that he SHOULD rebound. But at the moment, because of the big number tagged to it, this contract surpasses the Zito debacle, the Soriano debacle, the Lackey debacle, even the Dunn debacle. There was something about this deal that bugged me from the start. Oh, don’t misunderstand, I thought Crawford would be a dynamic player for the Red Sox — heck, I named the guy the 26th-best player in baseball in my preseason rankings.
No, what bothered me was that Crawford has always been more EXCITING than GOOD. This is a sports theme I’ve been thinking a lot about lately. Ask yourself this: Which statement is truer?
1. Michael Vick is a great quarterback.
2. Michael Vick is an exciting quarterback.
Both statements might be true. But I would think that the second statement rings truer. I’ve taken some heat from Justin Verlander fans, and I think this point applies to him, too. I think Verlander is a great pitcher. And I think Verlander is an exciting pitcher — all those strikeouts, the 100-mph fastballs in the late innings, the amazing breaking balls, are you kidding? Thrilling. And I think the thrilling part of the equation sometimes puffs up the great part.
Carl Crawford has always been a thrilling player. He hits triples. He steals bases. But we’re talking about a left fielder with a lifetime .333 on-base percentage and a lifetime .441 slugging percentage. I remember when I was going out to buy my first car, they showed me all the extras you could get on a Ford Escort. Sunroof. Leather seats. Automatic locks and windows*. And even then it struck me: No matter how you dress up this car, it’s still a Ford Escort. I don’t think Crawford is a Ford Escort. But his lifetime on-base and slugging percentage match up frighteningly close to those of Aaron Rowand and Eric Hinske. So you could argue that he’s Aaron Rowand with a sunroof.
*Yeah, there weren’t as many cool gadgets for cars then; automatic locks and windows felt futuristic.
4. Ryan Howard, five years, $125 million
If he can get healthy, and if the Phillies keep him in the middle of the lineup, he will keep driving in 100 runs. And maybe that will postpone the inevitable realization that Ryan Howard is becoming a less and less useful player all the time.
5. Barry Zito, two years, $46 million
The Giants are paying down this contract, which was originally for seven years and $126 million — they’re still upside-down on the deal, but there will come a time when they pay it off. It’s amazing to think that time is still two or three years from now (Zito has an option year in 2014).
People often say — I often say — that Scott Boras does a great job for his clients. And it’s undeniably true. But by “great job