Jon Heyman of SI.com looks at the 13 worst free agent deals in baseball.
1. Hampton, $121 million, Rockies (and Braves). The deals for him and Denny Neagle ($55 million, five years) set the Rockies back five years. On the other hand, the complicated trade to send him away and get the Rockies on the path to the World Series was a stroke of genius. The Braves, who got him from the Marlins in November 2002, two days after Colorado dumped him, are known for wise pitching decisions, but this has to be their worst.
6. Kevin Brown, $105 million, Dodgers (and Yankees). The first $100-million free agent. There were whispers that no one was offering anywhere near nine figures, but the truth is that while L.A. was the high bidder, there were other fools out there, as well. He brought his surly demeanor to the Bronx for two years, and left without a word, never to be heard from again. That is, until the Mitchell Report was released.
9. Barry Zito, $126 million, seven years, Giants. Hard as it is to believe now, at
least one other team (the Mariners) was willing to hit nine figures. Zito has lost 4-5 mph, leaving too little discrepancy between the fastball and his signature breaking ball. He’s still got almost six years to go, so there’s time to turn it around, but he turns 30 next month.
Interesting that six of Heyman’s 13-worst signings were starting pitchers. I’ve watched Zito pitch a couple times this year and he just doesn’t have it. Actually, he’ll have it for two or three innings, and then look completely befuddled the rest of the time. Of course, when your team only gets you a total of three runs in four starts, you’re not going to win many ballgames.
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