Victor Martinez and Most Overpaid MLB Stars of Last Decade
Victor Martinez is officially off the free agent market as the Detroit Tigers signed him to a four year $50 million contract, and Detroit is sure to benefit from the offensive strength he brings to the team.
But is this catcher's batting power worth $50 million when his defense behind the plate leaves quite a bit to be desired?
And could his age pose problems for the Tigers?
Some would say that Victor Martinez is being paid far too much, but he isn't the first player in the MLB to sign a contract larger than his actual talent.
Here is a list of the 10 Most Overpaid MLB Stars of the Last Decade.
10. Alex Rodriguez
1 of 10
2010 Salary: $33 million.
Oh, A-Rod.
Let's face it: He just isn't what he used to be.
Sure, he hit his 600th home run this year, but is he really worth all that money?
He had his lowest batting average (.270) since 1995 this year, and it looks like Rodriguez is on his way out.
9. Alfonso Soriano
2 of 10
2010 Salary: About $20 million.
I guess you could justify Soriano being paid so much if he played in the AL...
You know, if he could hit.
But he doesn't.
And he can't.
8. Gary Matthews Jr.
3 of 10
2010 Salary: $11.9 million.
Sometimes I feel like the Mets would have better luck if they just took all the money they were going to pay Matthews and used it to fund another season of Jersey Shore.
It would have about the same effect on the team.
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7. Carlos Beltran
4 of 10
2010 Salary: $19.4 million.
Carlos Beltran is injury-prone and simply not worth almost $20 million a year.
While it is unfortunate when a player is hurt, they still get paid even when they aren't playing.
Beltran played in a total of 64 games this season, and he averaged .255 with only seven home runs.
6. Travis Hafner
5 of 10
2010 Salary: About $12 million.
Now, it's not Hafner's fault that he had to battle injury in 2008, but in the 57 games he did play, he managed to bat only .197 and hit only five home runs.
Is it worth paying a player this much if he can't even play an entire season (and he can't even produce when he does play)?
5. Oliver Perez
6 of 10
2010 Salary: $12 million.
Last season, Oliver Perez had a 6.82 ERA, and what about this season?
And that is worth $12 million?
I don't think so.
4. Milton Bradley
7 of 10
2009 Salary: Around $10 million.
The Chicago Cubs somehow thought it was a good idea to offer this ticking time bomb $30 million, and now he's Seattle's problem.
Can someone please explain to me why paying an athlete who has only played one complete season in his life is a good idea?
3. Barry Zito
8 of 10
2010 Salary: $18.5 million.
Zito was great in Oakland, but something happened to him after he joined the Giants.
While still productive, it doesn't look like he is going to ever be as great as he once was.
He has lost more games than he has won since he arrived in San Francisco, and he didn't even play in the postseason this year.
2. Manny Ramirez
9 of 10
2010 Salary: $18.7 million
I want to start off by saying that I love Manny Ramirez, and it pains me to witness the decline of his talent.
That being said, he only hit one home run during his time with the White Sox.
Since I know baseball fans like numbers, I have worked up my own equation for you:
(2 RBI + 1 HR) / 24 Games = $18.7 million.
Sounds about right.
1. Derek Jeter
10 of 10
2010 Salary: Around $22 million
Derek Jeter is still a great baseball player, but this season he hit .270, his lowest average since...well, his first season with the Yankees.
In 2009, the league average salary for a shortstop was around $2 million.
I understand that Jeter became the face of the Yankees, but is he really worth 10 times as much as other players at the same position?
Jeter will more than likely end up signing another huge contract, but he has peaked.
And it will be a bad deal.
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