YAHOO! Sports columnist Jeff Passan compiles his all-overpaid and all-underpaid teams.
All-Overpaid
1B: Richie Sexson, Seattle, $15.5 million – With general manager Bill Bavasi fired Monday, the Mariners could finally cut ties with Sexson, the biggest mistake of Bavasi’s tenure. He’s been even worse than last season, striking out once every three at-bats, getting on base less than 30 percent of the time and slugging below .400. A disaster in every manner possible.
OF: The entire Los Angeles Angels outfield rotation, $54 million – For that much money, you figure Garret Anderson ($12.6 million), Gary Matthews Jr. ($9.4 million), Torii Hunter ($16.5 million) and Vladimir Guerrero ($15.5 million) can do better than the following rankings in left-field, center-field and right-field OPS; 23rd, 12th and 26th.
All-Underpaid
OF: Grady Sizemore, Cleveland, $3.17 million – Sizemore should be an annual participant on this list, with his contract calling for salaries no higher than $8.5 million through the 2012 season. He’s the Indians’ lone salvation this season, a home-run-hitting, base-stealing, outfield-ground-covering menace.
3B: Jorge Cantu, Florida, $500,000 – The Marlins always operate on the margins, and this year’s scrap-heap find was one of the AL’s best young players three years ago. Somewhere between his 117-RBI season as a 23-year-old and this year, Cantu lost his stroke. And somewhere since, he has found it with 14 home runs and a .506 slugging percentage that offset his 14 errors, .918 fielding percentage and range of a water pistol.
It’s amazing to think Sexson, a career .261 hitter, is making $15.5 million this year. Holy crap.
Cantu has been one of the best surprises of the season.
