No Return on Investment: MLB's Biggest Busts So Far in 2011
There's the old adage "you get what you pay for."
Another one may be "past performance does not guarantee future results"—a disclaimer that anyone who has ever invested in any kind of annuity has heard.
Professional sports teams often sign players to ridiculous contracts based on past performance in hopes of significant future results.
Across Major League Baseball, there are currently 76 players who will be paid at least $10 million in 2011. This represents 10.1 percent of all roster spots available across the 30 major-league clubs.
There are currently seven teams in Major League Baseball without at least one player making $10 million in 2011. Their combined record as of May 13 was 128-137—a .483 winning percentage.
In 2011, the most surprising of these teams has been the Tampa Bay Rays, who are currently leading the AL East.
Certainly, if you get what you pay for, the record of the top seven teams with the most players making at least $10 million, the combined record should be much higher.
Surprisingly, the combined record for these teams is 129-133 (.492 winning percentage), which is only slightly better.
Not surprising is the fact the Yankees lead this group with nine players, followed by Boston and Philadelphia with eight.
The surprise on this end might be the inclusion of the Minnesota Twins, who will pay four players at least $10 million and have the worst record in baseball.
For those players who don't hit their weight, they should follow the example of Lymon Bostock.
After playing three years with the Minnesota Twins, Bostock signed a free-agent contract with the California Angels for the 1978 season.
In April of that year, Bostock hit only .150 and attempted to return his salary to the team, saying he had not earned it. The Angels refused, so Bostock donated his April salary to charity.
After looking over the highest paid players of 2011 here are 10, in ascending order of salary, who should look to make some charitable contributions.
No. 10: Magglio Ordonez, Detroit Tigers—$10 Million
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In Dec. 2010, the Detroit Tigers signed Magglio Ordonez to a one-year, $10 million contract.
In 15 seasons, Ordonez has a career .310 average and a .313 average in his five seasons with the Tigers. In 2007, he led the league with a .363 batting average and finished second in AL MVP voting.
While Ordonez' 2011 salary is the lowest since his first year with the Tigers in 2005 ($7.2 million), he has opened the 2011 season batting only .172, with only three extra-base hits through 26 games.
The Tigers placed Ordonez on the 15-day disabled list on Saturday. In an article in the Detroit News, Tom Gage reported the placement is retroactive to last Wednesday for weakness in his right ankle.
No. 9: Adam Dunn, Chicago White Sox—$12 Million
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Adam Dunn is set to make $12 million in 2011 after signing a four-year deal with the Chicago White Sox.
This is Dunn's first year playing in the American League after 10 seasons with the Reds, Diamondbacks and Nationals.
So far this season, Dunn is hitting only .205 with four home runs and 16 RBI.
While Dunn is only a .250 career hitter, he may be struggling with the adjustment to designated hitter. He has only played once in the field thus far for Chicago.
In his NL career, Dunn averaged a home run every 14 at-bats, while only averaging one every 28 at-bats for the White Sox.
No. 8: Scott Kazmir, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim—$12 Million
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So far, in a little over a season, the Angels have not gotten what they were hoping for when they acquired Scott Kazmir from the Tampa Bay Rays in Aug. 2009.
In 35 starts for the Angels, Kazmir is 11-17 with a 5.31 ERA. In 2010, he was 9-15 and had a 5.94 ERA in 28 starts.
In 2011, he is set to be paid $12 million, a 50-percent increase over the $8 million salary he had in 2010.
He has been limited to a measly 1.2 innings in his first start this year.
Kazmir has been on the disabled list with tightness in his lower back since April 8. His days as an Angel could come to an end as the Angels' highest-paid pitcher.
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No. 7: Milton Bradley, Seattle Mariners—$13 Million
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Nothing Milton Bradley did should have surprised the Seattle Mariners.
After designating Bradley for assignment last week, the Mariners are essentially terminating his employ in Seattle.
In his 12 seasons, he played for eight teams, only exceeding 200 games for two of those clubs.
A .271 career hitter, Bradley was only hitting .218 for the Mariners in 28 games this season.
A disruptive force within the clubhouse wherever he's been, it will interesting to see if another team looks to give Bradley another chance—or a big payday.
No. 6: Zack Greinke, Milwaukee Brewers—$13.5 Million
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The Milwaukee Brewers will pay almost double what pitcher Zack Greinke made in 2010.
The 2009 AL Cy Young winner started the season on the disabled list after fracturing a rib playing basketball in February.
Limited to two starts this season, Greinke earned his first victory May 9. He is currently 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA—not what the Brewers expected out of the their second-highest paid player in 2011.
No 5: Carl Crawford, Boston Red Sox—$14.86 Million
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When the Boston Red Sox signed Carl Crawford to a seven-year $142 million contract, they probably never thought be would bat eighth in the lineup.
Set to make $14.86 million in 2011, Crawford hit .296 in his nine seasons with Tampa Bay.
So far this season for the Red Sox, he is only hitting .212 with a .295 slugging percentage.
No. 4: Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins—$15 Million
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In 2010, Justin Morneau was on pace to hit 36 home runs and drive in 112 RBI when he suffered a season-ending concussion on July 7.
At the time, he was leading the Twins with a .345 batting average, 18 home runs and 56 RBI.
So far in 2011, Morneau is struggling to produce at the plate. In 31 games, he is hitting only .216 with one home run and nine RBI.
Set to be paid $15 million this season, Morneau's lack of performance has the Twins staring up from the basement of the AL Central, currently with the worst record in baseball.
No. 3: John Lackey, Boston Red Sox—$15.95 Million
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Red Sox starting pitcher John Lackey will make over $2 million less in 2011 than in 2010.
Perhaps trying to figure out how to budget for his $15.95 million salary is weighing on his mind as he leads Boston with the most losses on the pitching staff.
His 8.01 ERA in seven starts this season is more than double that of his career ERA (3.98).
With a 2-5 record, the Red Sox were probably expecting more out of the second-highest paid player on their roster this season.
No. 2: Jason Bay, New York Mets—$18.13 Million
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This is not the player the New York Mets thought they were getting when they signed him as a free agent in Dec. 2009.
In his seven seasons before joining the Mets, Bay hit .280 with 185 home runs—averaging a home run every 17.9 at-bats.
So far for the Mets, he is hitting almost 30 points lower with only eight home runs—one for every 52 at-bats.
Set to make $18.125 million in 2011, Bay is only hitting .217 in 18 games this season.
No. 1: Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins—$23 Million
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It's beginning to look like the Minnesota Twins may have made a mistake when they signed the hometown kid, Joe Mauer, to a contract extension that will pay him $23 million in 2011.
At the fifth highest salary in baseball, the Twins have only gotten nine games from the three-time batting champion this year due to bilateral leg weakness and a viral infection that has knocked the wind out of their former MVP. He was hitting only .235 with one extra-base hit before he was placed on the disabled list.
Mauer's $23 million is almost double what the Twins paid him in 2010.
While he has been a great hitter for average, he has only one season with more than 20 home runs and has yet to exceed 100 RBI in any season.
For seven seasons up to 2010, the Twins have paid Mauer just over $34 million. In that time, he has hit only 16 home runs—$2.1 million per home run.
With no timetable set for his return it's unlikely the Twins will get their 10.9 home runs from Mauer this season.
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