MLB Trade Rumors: 25 Dead-Weight Players Teams Would Like To Unload
We all know that some players just aren't worth the money that they are making. Almost every team has one; some have significantly more than that. No matter how much love that some fans may have for some of them, the fact is they are not what they once were.
Here are 25 of the most dead-weight players in baseball that their current teams would love to move.
Mike Gonzalez, P, Baltimore Orioles
1 of 25
The Orioles signing of Mike Gonzalez didn't make a lot of sense when it happened. This was a team that was in a full-blown rebuild, and they threw big money at a closer, one of the more inexpensive positions on a team to fill. Then, a week into the season Gonzalez is placed on the DL with the dreaded "strained shoulder." His huge salary is a bigger problem now because he wasn't able to perform for the team for most of the year, killing any trade value he might have had.
Daisuke Matsuzaka, P, Boston Red Sox
2 of 25
He came into the bigs with such promise, including a new pitch that no one had ever seen, the "gyro ball." It turns out that hitters, while they may not have heard of it, understand how to hit it. Matsuzaka has never lived up to the promise that he had when he entered MLB in 2007. He has good strikeout ability, but his walk-rate has never been anything close to good, and he has been injured at some point in each of the last three years. That $100 million total to sign Matsuzaka might be the biggest blunder of the Theo Epstein era.
AJ Burnett, P, New York Yankees
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Prior to the 2009 season, the Yankees had to rebuild their pitching staff. The easiest way to do that is through free agency, and the Yankees made their mark during the winter of 2008. They signed CC Sabathia to the largest contract ever given to a pitcher, they gave Mark Teixeira $180 million, and they signed AJ Burnett to a five year, $80 million deal.
Two years later, Burnett is not worth that contract, and they know it. The Yankees knew what they were getting into when they signed him. He is a guy with great stuff but not the makeup to go with it. If they could find a taker for Burnett, they would likely jump at the opportunity.
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BJ Upton, CF, Tampa Bay Rays
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The story of BJ Upton has been one of unfulfilled promise since he was called up to the Rays full-time in 2007. That year he was very good, posting a .300/.386/.508 line.
Since then, he has never come close to matching that level of production, and he has clashed with some teammates. He showed in the 2008 ALCS that he has the talent to carry a team on his back, but his dedication and drive has never been sustained over the course of a whole year.
He is still relatively cheap, so the Rays may not be in a hurry to move him, but if he continues down that path in 2011, this could be the year that he gets moved.
Vernon Wells, CF, Toronto Blue Jays
5 of 25
Vernon Wells had a nice bounce-back year in 2010. That said, he is not the player that he was when he signed that mega-deal in 2008. He is 31 years old, his defense is not what it used to be, and his offense is not likely to get back to the 2003 level when he posted a .317/.359/.550. Toronto has begun to rebuild, and Wells sticks out like a sore thumb on that team.
Jake Peavy, P, Chicago White Sox
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White Sox GM Kenny Williams loves to make a splash at the trade deadline. In 2009, he did just that when he was able to acquire Jake Peavy.
Now, a year-and-a-half and 127 innings pitched later, Peavy is not the pitcher that he was when he won the 2007 NL Cy Young award. He hasn't pitched over 174 innings in the three seasons since. Now he is making $15 million a year to spend most of the year on the DL.
Travis Hafner, DH, Cleveland Indians
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Travis Hafner will make roughly $12.5 million next season. The Indians, as a team, will likely have a payroll of about $45 million. That's over 25 percent of team salary wrapped up in one player. The Indians signed Hafner to a big extension in the summer of 2007, and since then, Hafner has been a disaster. He has had major shoulder issues and can't play in more than four straight games. The Indians would love Hafner to come back and re-establish value and find a taker for Hafner.
Carlos Guillen, 2B, Detroit Tigers
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Since 2008, Guillen has played in 262 out of a possible 487 games. He makes a ton of money, and when he has played, his performance has slipped drastically. He is unable to drive the ball consistently anymore, and his defense has slipped significantly.
Gil Meche, SP, Kansas City Royals
9 of 25
The Royals deal for Meche has never made sense for a multitude of reasons. He has never been better than a No. 4 starter with a couple of fluky years in Kansas City. The Royals have a lot of up-and-coming talent in their system, and being able to move Meche would make it easier for the Royals to bring some of them up early in 2011.
Scott Kazmir, SP, Los Angeles Angels
10 of 25
The Angels trade with the Rays for Scott Kazmir never made a lot of sense, but everyone thinks that they can remake a player with talent. Instead, Kaz has been a disaster. He has lost velocity; his slider doesn't break the way that it once did. At 26, it looks as though Scott Kazmir has seen his best days. Add that to the fact that he will make over $9 million in 2011, and the Angels would look to dump Kaz on any potential taker.
Coco Crisp, CF, Oakland Athletics
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Coco hasn't been the same player since being traded from Cleveland to Boston in 2006. He is still a decent defender, but his offense has slipped way down. He has been hurt a lot for most of the last three years, and in that spacious Oakland ballpark, his offensive numbers are not likely to improve, and having to cover more ground in center lends itself to more injuries.
Milton Bradley, OF, Seattle Mariners
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No matter where Milton Bradley goes, it seems he is likely to be on his way out sooner rather than later. The Mariners are not likely to move Bradley because they are looking for offense from anyone who can provide it. However, he always gets hurt, his attitude is legendary, and he makes a lot of money for not a lot of production.
Jeff Francoeur, OF, Texas Rangers
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There's nothing wrong per-se with Jeff Francoeur; he just isn't a very good baseball player. He doesn't hit for average, he doesn't hit for power, he couldn't take a walk to save his life, and now he is arbitration eligible, which is going to make his salary go up. The Rangers need all the money they can get to re-sign Cliff Lee, and paying Francoeur $6-7 million a year isn't a good way to do that.
Derek Lowe, SP, Atlanta Braves
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The Braves have wanted to trade Lowe for the last year or so but couldn't find any takers. His performance got a little better in the second half of 2010 with the addition of a slider. The Braves aren't very deep in pitching after Lowe and Hudson, so they may be inclined to keep him. He is 37 years old and will likely not maintain his post all-star break numbers throughout 2011.
Javier Vasquez, SP, Florida Marlins
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He just signed with the team, so he can't be traded right now, but the Marlins will likely regret this deal. Something looked wrong with Vasquez last year; it wasn't just pitching in New York. His velocity was down significantly and he seemed to lose total command of his pitches. If his velocity doesn't come back to 2009 levels, this could be a bad decision for the Marlins.
Oliver Perez, SP, New York Mets
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It would be hard to find a worse starting pitcher in baseball the last two years than Oliver Perez. He has had an ERA near 7 and his WHIP has been about 2.00. What little command he used to have is completely gone now, and barring a miracle, it's hard to think that it will come back.
Raul Ibanez, OF, Philadelphia Phillies
17 of 25
The Ibanez contract has hurt the Phillies in two significant ways: One, because he is making $12 million means that the team can't afford to retain Jayson Werth. Two, his presence on the team has prevented top prospect Dominic Brown from getting significant playing time. The Phillies would love to move the 38 year old Ibanez, but finding a taker for an old, injured outfielder is likely going to be problematic.
Jason Marquis, SP, Washington Nationals
18 of 25
The Nationals signed Marquis to be a veteran presence to help mentor their young pitching. Sadly, that mentor is going to make $15 million between 2010-2011. Marquis has never been a good pitcher, but 2010 was awful: 13GS, 6.60 ERA, 1.70 WHIP.
Alfonso Soriano, OF, Chicago Cubs
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Quick, what's the worst contract in baseball right now? It won't take long before you get to Alfonso Soriano's. His numbers have been fading fast, and his defense has gotten downright embarassing. The Cubs would have to kick in a ton of money to be able to move the hopping outfielder.
Francisco Cordero, RP, Cincinnati Reds
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It's hard to think how quickly the baseball landscape changed. three years ago, Cordero got a four year deal for $46 million; now closers would be lucky to get half of that on the open market. Cordero is a decent closer, but for nearly $12 million a year, you want Mariano Rivera, not decent.
Carlos Lee, OF, Houston Astros
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Right next to Soriano's contract as one of the worst in baseball would be Carlos Lee's. The Astros have (finally) entered the rebuilding phase, and Lee's $19 million per year salary doesn't really help matters all that much. Plus, his body has moved him from the outfield to 1B which makes him even less valuable to any team looking at trying to acquire him (not that anyone is).
LaTroy Hawkins, RP, Milwaukee Brewers
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He makes about $4 million and threw 18 innings last year posting an ERA over 8. That's too much money for a good middle reliever, let alone one that's not healthy and productive.
Paul Maholm, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates
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When you are the Pirates, or any small-market team, a starting pitcher earning about $5 million with an ERA over 5 really kills the team. Fortunately, the Pirates have all kinds of problems right now that Maholm may not be the worst problem that they have.
Carlos Zambrano, SP, Chicago Cubs
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Carlos Zambrano was one of the better pitchers in baseball from 2003-2009. In 2010, the rails fell off and his attitude issues really came into play more than they have before. He finished the year strong and may have been able to re-establish some value to other teams. He will likely have to show more character growth before he gets moved anywhere.
Todd Helton, 1B, Colorado Rockies
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The torch has been passed with Troy Tulowitzki as the face of the franchise. Todd Helton has been great for that franchise, but now he is a shell of his former self, and his mega-salary is more of a hindrance to the Rockies than anything else.
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