The Luis Castillo List: Sports Has-Beens and Thieves (Players Stealing Money)

As Americans, we love a good deal. We love to save money and can appreciate a bargain. 

However, the price of a gallon of gas is going up, up and up and the days of penny candy and nickel ice cream cones are long gone, and there are very few things you can still do on the cheap.

In the spirit of wasting money and flushing it down the toilet, I present the Luis Castillo list of the biggest has-beens and/or thieves—guys stealing money from their current employers.

Barry Zito

Let me start off by saying something nice. He's an innings eater. The guy takes the ball every fifth day and still can throw a wicked curveball.

That being said, the Giants thought so little of him and his 9-14 record that they never even considered him for their postseason run last year. Of course, when you have Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain at the top of your rotation, you can afford this luxury.

Barry—and his bloated contact—is still signed through 2013 but has never posted a winning record in SF and is a fifth starter getting ace money.

Alfonso Soriano

Is this the same guy who stole 41 bases back in 2006? Is this the same guy who is now stealing money from the Cubs for an eight-year, $136 million contract? Yes and yes!

He still has a brutal on-base percentage, and the strikeouts to walks ratio of 3.5 to 1 means he leaves a ton of men on base. Throw in his below-average fielding and you see why the Yanks traded him to Texas in the Alex Rodriguez deal. He had a horrific 2003 World Series and struck out way too much for a leadoff guy.

Joba Chamberlain

This is not meant to be an anti-Yankee thing, but after bursting onto the scene in the summer of 2007, he is now fighting for a job in 2011. He went from unhittable phenom to huge disappointment. Joe Girardi basically had him in hiding after the team acquired Kerry Wood for their stretch run, and he only pitched three innings in the 2010 postseason.

Chamberlain could be back in Triple-A after the team acquired Rafael Soriano in the offseason. He has also added weight and is possibly interested in being a stand-in for Bartolo Colon.

Josh Beckett

I know I might get grief for this one, but sometimes the truth hurts. He's hurt...a lot! He's possibly hurt again! He is signed through 2014 with a big contract and is at best the No. 3 starter on the Sox. Great in the World Series in 2003 and 2007, but what have you done for me lately?

On the flip side, he's only going to turn 31 this year, and 15-18 wins would surely move him off this list.

Carlos Beltran

As a depressed Mets fan, I've never been a big Beltran fan. The guy turned a scorching-hot 2004 playoff run into a seven-year contract. He has not been healthy since 2008, and he has hit the softest .279 for the Mets since Bobby Bonilla or Kevin McReynolds.

Beltran is moving to RF this year, and it remains to be seen if his knees will hold up. He will probably resurface as a full-time DH next year.

Oliver Perez

Perez might be the most hated athlete in New York City, and that is no small feat. He's only loved by ex-GM Omar Minaya. He refused to accept a demotion to the minors last year to work out his problems.

Perez is the poster child for a guy just interested in cashing a check and uninterested in his team. He has a brutal ERA of over six the last two years. 

A.J. Burnett

When you're the Yankees, you can afford the occasional mistake. Million-dollar arm with a 10-cent brain. Best known for throwing shaving cream pies after walk-off wins. Burnett had a brutal ERA of 5.26 with only 10 wins on a stacked Yankees team last year.

Signed through 2012, so he's not going anywhere...except maybe to get some more tattoos.

Another Tough Day at the Ballpark for Barry

Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

ST. LOUIS - AUGUST 22: Starter Barry Zito #75 of the San Francisco Giants looks on from the dugout against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on August 22, 2010 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

Another tough day at the ballpark for Barry.

Somewhere, Harry Caray Is Crying

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

MESA, AZ - FEBRUARY 22: Alfonso Soriano #12 of the Chicago Cubs poses for a portrait during media photo day at Finch Park on February 22, 2011 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Somewhere, Harry Caray is crying.

Damn, I Wish It Were Still 2007

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

NEW YORK - OCTOBER 19: Joba Chamberlain #62 of the New York Yankees looks on against the Texas Rangers in Game Four of the ALCS during the 2010 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium on October 19, 2010 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsa

Damn, I wish it were still 2007.

Hurt?...Again?

Elsa/Getty Images

FT. MYERS, FL - FEBRUARY 20: Josh Beckett #19 of the Boston Red Sox poses for a portrait during the Boston Red Sox Photo Day on February 20, 2011 at the Boston Red Sox Player Development Complex in Ft. Myers, Florida (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Hurt?...Again?

Smiling All the Way to the Bank

Elsa/Getty Images

PORT ST. LUCIE, FL - FEBRUARY 24: RY 24: Carlos Beltran #15 of the New York Mets poses for a portrait during the New York Mets Photo Day on February 24, 2011 at Digital Domain Park in Port St. Lucie, Florida. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Smiling all the way to the bank.

This ^&*(^% Guy!

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

NEW YORK - MAY 10: Oliver Perez #46 of the New York Mets looks on from the dugout against the Washington Nationals on May 10, 2010 at Citi Field in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

This #$%%&*^% guy!

How DID You Get That Black Eye Last Year, A.J.?

Al Bello/Getty Images

TAMPA, FL - FEBRUARY 23: A.J. Burnett #34 of the New York Yankees poses for a portrait on Photo Day at George M. Steinbrenner Field on February 23, 2011 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

How DID you get that black eye last year, A.J.?