Neyer wrote last week about the dodgy future of pitchers w/ Felix's workload, age etc.
― saltwater incursion (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 12 February 2013 17:31 (eleven years ago) link
the Vernon Wells signing was obviously pretty bad but I'm much more baffled by the Angels trading for him after the awfulness of his contract was long since established
― frogbs, Wednesday, 13 February 2013 15:14 (eleven years ago) link
Bonus points go to contracts that were indefensible at the time. Wells' was at least somewhat defensible -- he'd been a 4-5 win player on average up until then, still a good defender, and was entering his age-27 season. The market for outfielders was thin, and he was a popular homegrown player. I don't think the disaster signs were obvious compared to the Zito and Hampton signings (or A-Rod's 2007 re-up).
― NoTimeBeforeTime, Wednesday, 13 February 2013 16:03 (eleven years ago) link
Most of the debate was about giving superstar money to a guy who wasn't a true superstar. The Jays had been waiting for Wells to break out for a while and then paid him like the player they expected him to be, not the player he was. There are always guys like that e.g. Jay Bruce where people keep expecting a breakout season but it never comes and eventually you just accept that he is who he is. Even so, the argument was that the Jays were paying 5-6 win money for a 3-4 win player, but even that wouldn't have been so bad.
― NoTimeBeforeTime, Wednesday, 13 February 2013 16:09 (eleven years ago) link
i always appreciate being reminded how legendarily awful adam dunn's 2011 season was
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 13 February 2013 16:09 (eleven years ago) link
Has anyone ever had a worse season? I mean usually the "worst case" scenario for these big guys in their 30's is that they wind up around 0-1 WAR like Wells has but I've never seen a dropoff so steep where it got to the point that the guy was actively way worse than replacement level and was outhit by like half the pitchers in the league. And he was in a situation where the Sox had really no choice but to play him. You might never see another season like that again!
― frogbs, Wednesday, 13 February 2013 17:03 (eleven years ago) link
Not anywhere close to $100 million (relative peanuts, though not for you or me), but who knew that Bobby Bonilla was still getting--and will continue to get--million-dollar cheques for the next two decades?
― clemenza, Wednesday, 3 July 2013 14:42 (eleven years ago) link
the highest paid relievers lolz
http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2014/9/17/6264159/highest-paid-relievers-baseball
― son of a lewd monk (Dr Morbius), Thursday, 18 September 2014 14:14 (ten years ago) link
the current worst
http://grantland.com/features/worst-mlb-contracts-2015-alex-rodriguez-ryan-howard-prince-fielder/
― touch of a love-starved cobra (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 10 February 2015 03:14 (nine years ago) link
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B9c1IY7CEAI4C6n.jpg
zing
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 03:23 (nine years ago) link
1 war is worth abt 6m now on the market right?
― Bringing the mosh (Jimmy The Mod Awaits The Return Of His Beloved), Tuesday, 10 February 2015 03:25 (nine years ago) link
after this year, yeah. chart should adjust for WARflation for the older deals.
― AKA Thermo Thinwall (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 10 February 2015 05:19 (nine years ago) link
Ryan Howard for the win!
― NoTimeBeforeTime, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 12:54 (nine years ago) link
shin-soo choo's deal is looking awfully sketchy
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 16:15 (nine years ago) link
You could compare Choo's deal to Jayson Werth's -- high OBP guys with some pop (and collapsing defense) somehow getting paid superstar money in their 30's. Like Werth, I think Choo gets a pass for being hurt last year, when he's healthy he should still be a valuable player.
― NoTimeBeforeTime, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 17:17 (nine years ago) link
the matt cain deal isn't looking so hot either
― Karl Malone, Tuesday, 10 February 2015 17:43 (nine years ago) link
Somehow ended up on this article; I didn't realize the Braves were still paying Bruce Sutter for his 40 saves over three seasons (and will be until 2021).
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/07/01/bobby-bonillas-isnt-the-only-deferred-money-deal-in-the-game-and-isnt-even-the-worst/comment-page-1/
― clemenza, Thursday, 13 August 2015 21:50 (nine years ago) link
That's insane. A $40M deal in 1985???
― NoTimeBeforeTime, Friday, 14 August 2015 09:28 (nine years ago) link
Found a timeline of the biggest contracts ever from '79 to 2007. Sutter smay have been behind a few people when he signed with the Braves (Winfield #1):
http://wezen-ball.com/2009-articles/the-history-of-the-highest-paid-player-in-baseball.html
It's the disconnect that amazes me. Sutter's from another universe, and he's apparently still on the payroll.
― clemenza, Friday, 14 August 2015 13:43 (nine years ago) link
"may"
the payroll/salary 1 page team pages on b-r are really cool, like I did not appreciate that max scherzer will make a season salary of $42.1M starting in 2019
http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/WSN/2015-payroll-salaries.shtml
― johnny crunch, Thursday, 20 August 2015 13:23 (nine years ago) link
is there a way to look at all of baseball at once in that salary chart?
― AKA Thermo Thinwall (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Thursday, 20 August 2015 13:41 (nine years ago) link
not that I see
the $/yrs that tampa has archer at is criminal
whats the diff if someone is repped by Scott Boras v Boras Corp
― johnny crunch, Thursday, 20 August 2015 14:17 (nine years ago) link
Update (haven't read this yet):
http://baseball-players.pointafter.com/stories/10927/100-million-dollar-contracts-mlb
― clemenza, Monday, 21 March 2016 13:49 (eight years ago) link
I completely forgot Carlos Lee existed
― carthago delenda est (mayor jingleberries), Monday, 21 March 2016 18:29 (eight years ago) link
Jacoby Ellsbury is on pace to become one of the worst free-agent signings in New York Yankees history. He still has plenty of time to change the narrative -- his contract, for goodness' sake, doesn't end until after the 2020 season -- but as Yogi supposedly once said, "It gets late early around here."
http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/yankees/post/_/id/91743/153m-man-jacoby-ellsbury-continues-to-look-bad
― Andy K, Friday, 8 April 2016 22:38 (eight years ago) link
nats def got some value out of it but the back half of this ELEVEN year ryan Zimmerman contract is looking p rough
2009 24 Washington Nationals $3,325,000 2010 25 Washington Nationals $6,350,000 2011 26 Washington Nationals $9,025,000 2012 27 Washington Nationals $12,000,000 2013 28 Washington Nationals $14,000,000 2014 29 Washington Nationals $14,000,000 2015 30 Washington Nationals $14,000,000 2016 31 Washington Nationals $14,000,000 2017 32 Washington Nationals $14,000,000 2018 33 Washington Nationals $14,000,000 2019 34 Washington Nationals $18,000,000 2020 35 Washington Nationals *$18,000,000 $18M Team Option, $2M Buyout
― johnny crunch, Tuesday, 10 May 2016 19:15 (eight years ago) link
took a glance @ the balance of that chris davis contract 2day:
2019 33 Baltimore Orioles $23,000,000 2020 34 Baltimore Orioles $23,000,000 2021 35 Baltimore Orioles $23,000,000 2022 36 Baltimore Orioles $23,000,000 Earliest Free Agent: 2023
― johnny crunch, Tuesday, 3 July 2018 18:49 (six years ago) link
there's been some pretty fantastic disasters in the seven years since we did this poll – I still think Hampton is the worst.
― Mad Piratical (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 3 July 2018 18:59 (six years ago) link
i don't know, that ryan howard 2012-16 extension (at more than $25 million per year, i think) turned out to be pretty awful.
― Karl Malone, Tuesday, 3 July 2018 19:09 (six years ago) link
pujols' may turn out to be worse but the disaster is still unfolding
― Karl Malone, Tuesday, 3 July 2018 19:10 (six years ago) link
ya, that's the only that gives me pause.
― Mad Piratical (The Cursed Return of the Dastardly Thermo Thinwall), Tuesday, 3 July 2018 19:16 (six years ago) link
Wanted to say Mauer was a contender but he’s actually been a solid player, just not the perennial MVP contender/batting champ they thought he would continue to be.
― omar little, Tuesday, 3 July 2018 19:21 (six years ago) link
the vernon wells deal deserves some love -- as does the fact that the angels traded for it
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 3 July 2018 19:41 (six years ago) link
Angels are the “best” at this in some way. Never forget Josh Hamilton.
― omar little, Tuesday, 3 July 2018 19:56 (six years ago) link
Chris Davis is on par for a -4.0 WAR season, lmao
not really sure how to answer this since there are a lot of different factors at play but I do think the Ryan Howard one gets special consideration because that one was so obviously doomed from the start, even a best-case projection of how Howard would age wouldn't even come close to $125m in value
― frogbs, Tuesday, 3 July 2018 20:30 (six years ago) link
might as well start using chris davis as a relief pitcher at this point. he wasn't bad the... one? two times he pitched?
― challops trap house (Will M.), Tuesday, 3 July 2018 20:34 (six years ago) link
the howard deal is extra special because iirc it didn't even kick in for a couple seasons -- completely unnecessary
― mookieproof, Tuesday, 3 July 2018 20:43 (six years ago) link
plus there was virtually no competition for him. was anyone really gonna offer a 32-year old slugger anything close to that?
― frogbs, Tuesday, 3 July 2018 20:59 (six years ago) link
If Chris Davis gets to -4.0 WAR then he might be the winner. That's nearly as much (negative) value as all five years of Ryan Howard's extension!
― NoTimeBeforeTime, Friday, 13 July 2018 07:17 (six years ago) link
eric hosmer's eight-year/$144m deal is not off to a good start
93 wRC+, 0.3 bWAR, -0.6 fWAR at age 28 in the *first* year of the deal
― mookieproof, Thursday, 2 August 2018 20:32 (six years ago) link
Just think, the Padres can build up their team around the hosmer core for the next 7 years, they’re gonna be great
― Karl Malone, Thursday, 2 August 2018 21:13 (six years ago) link
what we've learned from all this is . . . never sign first basemen. don't even sign ian desmond and inexplicably move him to first. put a reliever there if you want, or better yet just field eight players
― mookieproof, Thursday, 2 August 2018 23:40 (six years ago) link
Scott Hatteberg
― timellison, Friday, 3 August 2018 00:20 (six years ago) link
wasnt sure where to put this but whoa damn kenta maeda is on a team friendly deal
2016 28 Los Angeles Dodgers $3,125,000 2017 29 Los Angeles Dodgers $3,125,000 2018 30 Los Angeles Dodgers $3,125,000 2019 31 Los Angeles Dodgers $3,125,000 2020 32 Los Angeles Dodgers $3,125,000 2021 33 Los Angeles Dodgers $3,125,000 2022 34 Los Angeles Dodgers $3,125,000 2023 35 Los Angeles Dodgers $3,125,000 Earliest Free Agent: 2024
― johnny crunch, Thursday, 1 November 2018 21:32 (five years ago) link
hm ok i guess some incentives too, had physical "irregularities"
https://www.truebluela.com/2016/1/7/10733574/kenta-maeda-contract-details-dodgers-risk-bonuses
― johnny crunch, Thursday, 1 November 2018 21:36 (five years ago) link
I guess Toronto inherited Tulowitzki's contract, but his arrival here coincided with him hitting the $20M mark.
2007 22 Colorado Rockies $381,000 ? 2008 23 Colorado Rockies $750,000 ? 2009 24 Colorado Rockies $1,000,000 ? 2010 25 Colorado Rockies $3,500,000 3.033 2011 26 Colorado Rockies $5,500,000 4.033 2012 27 Colorado Rockies $8,250,000 5.033 contracts 2013 28 Colorado Rockies $10,000,000 6.033 contracts 2014 29 Colorado Rockies $16,000,000 7.033 contracts 2015 30 Toronto Blue Jays $20,000,000 8.033 contracts 2016 31 Toronto Blue Jays $20,000,000 9.033 2017 32 Toronto Blue Jays $20,000,000 10.033 contracts 2018 33 Toronto Blue Jays $20,000,000 11.033 2019 34 Toronto Blue Jays $20,000,000 2020 35 Toronto Blue Jays $14,000,000 2021 36 Toronto Blue Jays *$15,000,000 $15M Team Option, $4M Buyout
I don't know how long it was before we started paying the whole amount. Anyway, the Jays are on the hook until 2021. For that, we got...a symbolic jolt out of the deal in 2015 (day after or day before getting Price, I think), great defense that first year, a few key hits, and not much else ever since.
― clemenza, Thursday, 1 November 2018 23:50 (five years ago) link
We compared every MLB player who has signed for at least $100 mil. Two of the many takeaways: get'em when they're young (like Machado and Harper); shy away from the second big deal.https://t.co/BpykPfKpgU— Joe Ward (@wardnyt) February 20, 2019
― mookieproof, Wednesday, 20 February 2019 22:01 (five years ago) link
― mookieproof, Thursday, August 2, 2018 3:32 PM (one year ago) bookmarkflaglink
second year update
97 wRC+, .275/.323/.434, ISO .158, 0.0 fWAR, age 29. $102M left on the contract from 2020-25 (unless he takes advantage of hosmer fever and opts out after 2022).
― Sally Jessy (Karl Malone), Wednesday, 18 September 2019 15:41 (five years ago) link
second lowest ISO among qualified first basement (ahead of only joey votto ;_;)
― Sally Jessy (Karl Malone), Wednesday, 18 September 2019 15:43 (five years ago) link