MLB Free Agency: 7 Most Disappointing Signings in 2011

Every offseason the MLB hot stove burns bright. Every year, several hundreds of millions of dollars are spent in an effort to make every team into a potential champion.

However, not every deal works out as management thought it would. There are always a few players who inevitably do not live up to the high expectations that are placed upon them.

This season is no different. Here are the seven biggest disappointments from the free agent class of last winter.

Adam Dunn, Chicago White Sox

I have never heard Adam Dunn referred to as a high-average hitter. However, a .163 batting average is extremely disappointing.

Dunn hit .260 with 38 home runs and 103 RBI last season with the Washington Nationals. This prompted the Chicago White Sox to sign him to a four-year, $56 million contract.

He responded by hitting the aforementioned .163 with only 11 home runs and 40 RBI. He has now been removed from the starting lineup, so this definitely qualifies as a disappointment.

Jayson Werth, Washington Nationals

During his last season in Philadelphia, Werth hit .296 with 27 home runs, 85 RBI, and 13 stolen bases. After seeing this performance, the Washington Nationals signed him to a seven-year, $126 million contract.

This season has been much more disappointing. He is hitting .230 with 17 home runs, 51 RBI, and 16 stolen bases. The Nationals were definitely hoping for a little more pop out of the middle of their lineup.

However, part of this decline may very well be due to the fact that he left the extraordinarily hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park.

Carl Crawford, Boston Red Sox

Carl Crawford is a speed demon. Regrettably, and maybe partially due to a hamstring injury earlier this season, he has only stolen 17 bases.

Crawford was coming off one of his best seasons with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2010, when he hit .307 with 19 home runs, 90 RBI and 47 stolen bases. This performance was rewarded by the Boston Red Sox with a seven-year, $142 million contract.

He is only batting .252 this season with 11 home runs, 52 RBI and 17 stolen bases. Part of this may be due to that injury, but he is performing way below his career averages.

Manny Ramirez, Tampa Bay Rays

I know that his contract was only worth $2 million for 2011, but I have to admit that I was disappointed by the way that this went down. He had 555 career home runs and was one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball in his time.

He hit .298 with nine home runs and 42 RBI in 2010 while splitting time between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox. Then, the Tampa Bay Rays decided to take a $2 million chance on him for one year.

He had a grand total of 17 at-bats in Tampa Bay with one hit before the news broke that he would face a 100-game suspension due to his second violation of the performance-enhancing drug policy. He then decided to retire, which was a disappointing finish to a very successful yet volatile career.

Miguel Tejada, San Francisco Giants

Miguel Tejada was one of the earlier power hitting shortstops in Major League Baseball. He hit over 30 home runs four different times and drove in over 100 runs in six different seasons.

Admittedly, he is getting older, but he split time last season between the Baltimore Orioles and the San Diego Padres and performed pretty well by batting .269 with 15 home runs and 71 RBI. He was then signed by the San Francisco Giants for $6.5 million over one season.

He only hit .239 with four home runs and 26 RBI in 91 games for the Giants. However, he was waived by the Giants, so they were obviously very disappointed with his performance.

Aubrey Huff, San Francisco Giants

I know that technically he re-signed with the San Francisco Giants, but he was a free agent, so he will have a spot on this list.

Last season, he hit .290 with 26 home runs and 86 RBI. The Giants then decided that they wanted to re-sign him to a two-year, $22 million contract with an option for a third year.

His second season in San Francisco has been noticeably less successful. He is batting .242 with only 12 home runs and 55 RBI. His on-base percentage of .300 is only slightly higher than his average last season. The Giants were hoping for him to power their lineup, but it hasn't quite worked out that well.

Derrek Lee, Pittsburgh Pirates

It does not seem like originally leaving the Chicago Cubs was a great career move. Last season, he started with the Cubs and was traded to the Atlanta Braves.

He ended up batting .260 with 19 home runs and 80 RBI. As a result of this performance, the Baltimore Orioles rewarded him with a one-year, $7.25 million contract.

He didn't last long in Baltimore, however, as he was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates midseason. He is only hitting .258 this season with 15 home runs and 50 RBI. Compared to what he has done throughout the rest of his career, this is slightly disappointing.