Despite hefty price tags, baseball free-agents don't come with warranties.
As a Major League Baseball general manager, if you play, there's a chance you'll pay. Sometimes free-agent pick-ups work great. The New York Yankees are no strangers to playing the free-agent sweepstakes.
Ironically, in this off-season it is no secret that the Bronx Bombers need starting pitching. In recent years, four of their five worst free-agent signings have been hurlers.
Below is my list of the five worst Yankees free-agent signings in recent off-seasons.
(These stats were tabulated by the author and are not official MLB stats.)
5. P Jaret Wright
Three years, $21 million
16-12, 5.28 ERA, 203.3 IP, 1.32 K/BB
Wright was traded to the Baltimore Orioles after his second year with the Yankees. This was a reach because Wright only had one full-season of success with the Atlanta Braves at the time. He also didn't have a solid playoff showing for the Bombers.
4. 1B Jason Giambi
Seven years, $120 million
209 HR, 604 RBI, 706 SO, .254 AVG
Giambi hit 41 home runs in each of his first two seasons in the Bronx. Then his production tailed-off and his average plummeted. He's awful as a first baseman, but the Yankees had to play him there because he doesn't hit as well when he's the designated hitter. Inking a free-agent to such a big number for so many years is almost certainly going to fail.
3. P Jose Contreras
Four years, $32 million
15-7, 4.47 ERA, 166.2 IP, 2.13 K/BB
In his first season with the Yanks in '03, Contreras had a 22.34 ERA as a starter (7.43 ERA out of the pen), spent two months on the disabled list and had four stints in the minors. The next season, he was inconsistent again and spent a month in the minors. After only a season and a half in the Bronx, he was traded to the White Sox.
2. P Kei Igawa
Five years, $20 million (plus $26 million posting fee)
2-4, 6.65 ERA, 71.2 IP, 1.43 K/BB
Just securing the rights to talk to Igawa came with a whopping $26 million price tag. Can you say, "You had me at konnichiwa?" After losing the Dice-K sweepstakes against the Red Sox, the Yankees just had to have any Japanese pitcher they could get their hands on to keep up with the Epsteins.
1. P Carl Pavano
Four years, $40 million
9-8, 5.00 ERA, 145.2 IP, 2.50 K/BB
Pavano got a huge contract from the team he beat in the World Series. He really only had one solid season with the Florida Marlins. Most of the time, Pavano suffered from a laundry list of injuries, including his buttocks—apparently from sitting on his arse all the time.
10 comments Last one added 7 months ago — Leave a Comment
matt elias 7 months ago
It is easy to criticize some of these moves years after they happen. I will give you Igawa and Wright b/c those didn't make sense from the begining. Kevin Brown was technically a trade so it wouldn't fall under free agent headlines.
As for Giambi, the only complaint you can have of his time in NY is that he didn't win a World Series. I would say his time in pinstripes was well spent. He had 2 great years to start, then he had a couple down years in 03 and 04. But what about those hr's off Pedro in game 7? Or those forgotten? And then when healthy he played very well and always grinded out ab's and was a stand up guy. There is a reason his teammates always stood with him.
And for Pavano, to complain now is ridiculous. Every team in baseball wanted to sign him and he even took less money to play for the Yankees. The Red Sox and Tigers offered more. He got hurt it happens, all his injuries were legitimate. He had multiple surgeries (including having golf ball size of bone removed from his elbow.) He even worked hard to come back last year. There must be a reason there are 5 teams ready to offer him a contact for next year. This is ridiculous and completly unfair to complain about Pavano.
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Edgar Antonio Nunez 7 months ago
Matt, you're right about Brown so I'll look to possibly move him off the list.
As for Giambi, let's face it, he was a mixed-bag. Yes, he had some pivotal moments for the Yanks. My argument is that for that type of contract (length, salary) he was grossly overpriced.
For all of stuff that's said about A-Rod, he's solid at 3B and he's been more consistent overall. (Playoffs you win, but I believe, and hope, that'll turn around.)
Pavano was an out-and-out stretch. I won't concede this one. Sure, he may have had suitors besides the Yanks, but he had only one real solid year under his belt at the time. Mike Mussina, who is a class act and never complains, even questioned Pavano's commitment to baseball. So you lose that one.
This isn't a complaint. Not all of these guys was I opposed to signing. This is just a recap of some of the worst deals that played out in time.
Thanks for the read.
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Perry Arnold 7 months ago
Now way Giambi's time in New York has been "well spent". Go back and look at his stats for the time he has been here. There have been two years that he missed about half of each season and another year that he should have been in the minors working on his swing and wouldn't go. He has been a waste of time. I agree that we are looking at Pavano with hind sight, but that's all we have and the job of the GM and scouts is to be accurate in projecting what the player is going to become.
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Edgar Antonio Nunez 7 months ago
Perry, solid points and thanks for making the case. Again, GMs don't have crystal balls to tell if players will get hurt, that said, locking up ANYONE for seven years is an awful big risk. It didn't pan out for the Yanks in this case.
Too often I saw Giambi partying it up in Las Vegas (BTW).
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A Good 7 months ago
Let's not forget Jose Jose Contreras. That was another brillant move. Couldn't handle the bright lights of NY. Maybe Psychatric Exams should come along with these big deals.
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Edgar Antonio Nunez 7 months ago
I'll research Contreras' stats and look to replace Brown with him.
For the record, I'm also working on the Yanks top 5 best free-agent signings. I'm a fan of the Yanks, and I'm not looking to just be critical. But being critical is part of being a fan because it means you care as a fan.
Thanks A.
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matt elias 7 months ago
I have no problem with complaints. I am a Yankee fan too and complain a lot and lately there has been a lot to complain about. I am not one of those Yankee fans who boo A-Rod when he hits 300 30 hrs and 100 rbis every year. I think he is a great player and happy he is on team.
If you want a bad signing lately how about Tony Womack. he is often forgotten but he was bumped from secondbase to outfieldand had one of the worst offensive years in the history of baseball.
Or how about some of the relievers who have been brought it in and have completly failed?
As for Pavano, I am probably one of 50 Yankee fans who would want him brought back as long as he would be cheap. I know you think I am nuts but the guy is a solid pitcher if he can be healthy (Huge Huge Huge question if he can be but I would try it for 2, 3 million.) You know pitchers will get hurt and you need guys to turn to.
I would like to know your thoughts on the big contract about to be offered tonight to CC>
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Edgar Antonio Nunez 7 months ago
Thanks Matt, maybe I can update this article with Womack. I forgot about him. For my own baseball sanity, I'm glad I did. What a bust.
I can see the case for Pavano and it's not too far-fetched but I'd be 100 percent against it. Whether bad luck or not, his reputation has been damaged with too many current Yanks.
I say throw the bank at CC but for three years, four years tops.
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Frank Riolo 7 months ago
I agree with the three or four year contract for CC, but the problem with throwing three or four years at him is that you will never get him with that kinda contract...Back in 2002, I though the Giambi signing was great, with an emphasis on SIGNING. You can't focus on what happened after the fact. But like Pavano, Giambi was one of the top free agents of the year and that the Yanks picked him up was huge. In addition, he wasn't a total bust. The guy had some ups and downs with the Yanks, but he also had a couple really solid years as well, with some really memorable moments thrown in there. As far as the worst signing, it HAS TO BE Igawa. The signing of Igawa was nothing more than a sorry reaction to the Red Sox picking up Dice-K and nothing else. I think the Yanks just felt that they needed to compensate for the loss of Dice-K by throwing money at another Japanese pitcher.
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Edgar Antonio Nunez 7 months ago
Thanks Frank.
By no means am I pointing fingers at the Yankees. My list isn't a I-told-you-so list. This is just recapping signings that went bad. I'm not trying to suggest I'm on a soapbox saying I didn't agree with some of these at the time. As my opening suggests, some signings work out, some don't. No one's got a crystal ball. The Red Sox have bad signings (ask Julio Lugo) like any other team. I'm just interested in the Yanks because that's my team.
Some signings/trades with the biggest fanfare don't work, some with the least, work magnificently.
For the record, I liked adding Giambi but was skittish about the length of the contract. In that respect I was right, he did well on the front two years, no so much after wards.
I think Brown, Wright, Pavano can be a warning however on current free-agents like Burnett, Lowe, guys who have a solid year or two but their overall resume isn't too impressive.
Buyer beware.
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