Grienke Contract

[markfnc]

In honor of his new contract, list worst pitching contracts ever.

I'll start Barry Zito with Giants

[blue911]

Jason Schmidt with Dodgers

Carl Pavano with Yankees

John Lackey with Red Sox

[Vega]

Hampton, Mike.

[HalfSmokes]

Kevin Brown

[imref]

Jason Schmidt with Dodgers

Carl Pavano with Yankees

John Lackey with Red Sox

we have a winner.

A few other honorable mentions:
- Carlos Silva - 4/$48M with seattle.  Threw 180 innings with an ERA over 6.5
- Chan Ho Park - 5/$65 with Texas - over 5 ERA
- Mike Hampton - 8/$121 with the Rockies to pitch batting practice to opposing teams

Maybe Dice-K too?

[zimm_da_kid]

we have a winner.

A few other honorable mentions:
- Carlos Silva - 4/$48M with seattle.  Threw 180 innings with an ERA over 6.5
- Chan Ho Park - 5/$65 with Texas - over 5 ERA
- Mike Hampton - 8/$121 with the Rockies to pitch batting practice to opposing teams

Maybe Dice-K too?

Maybe Daisuke if you factor in all the money involved in the transactio, ie the posting fee.

[tomterp]

Maybe Daisuke if you factor in all the money involved in the transactio, ie the posting fee.

Of course you have to factor in the posting fee.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Silva has to be way up there. Wayne Garland anyone?  first multi-million dollar pitching contract.  Signed for 7 years after a 20 win season.  I'm not sure if he won 10 games over that contract.

Lackey has a special stink because he was corrosive in the chicken and beer sense.  However, the Red Sox got one mediocre year out of him.  I'll give it a bit more time.  He could be league average the rest of the way and then merely be bad.  there is also the league minimum option at the end, so that could reduce the $/yr.

The acquisition costs for the right to bargain with Dice-K did not count against the luxury tax threahold for a team that was right around it, so I don't think that counts as a downside to the contract.  It was 4 squandered years after 2 acceptable ones at the start.

I'm with Carlos Silva on this one.

[houston-nat]

Carl Pavano: 4 years, $38 million, 9 wins.

75 strikeouts.

He was paid $506,666 per strikeout.

[tomterp]

Chan Ho Park, Danny Neagle.

[soxfan59]

Jaime Navarro, 1996.  It didn't matter what he was paid. 

[Tyler Durden]

Jaime Navarro, 1996.  It didn't matter what he was paid. 

In that case - Brian Bruney.

[markfnc]

Good topic, others I thought of were mentioned.  Kevin Brown, Mike Hampton, Dice K, Lackey.  Long term pitching contracts are very dangerous. 

[codedandunited]

I wonder how long it will take until Darvish's name shows up on this list.  His annual salary doesn't look too bad, but the posting fee plus what it cost just to negotiate is insane....

[JCA-CrystalCity]

The posting fee issue isn't as clear cut a negative as some here are making it out to be.  Darvish was able to pitch in MLB from the get go.  Not even top 5 picks typically do that, like Hultzen, Gerrit Cole, and Bauer.  I forget what the typical cost of developing a mid-rotation starter is when you consider the failiures, but I think I heard a number of $20MM.  For the Nats, Strasburg aside, for every JZ, there was a Smoker, an Everts, a Balester, McGeary, and more.  If you don't consider Detwiler a mid-rotation type, add his name to that mix, too. 

for a team up against the luxury tax, the fact that posting fees do not count against the threshold also is a consideration.  Texas is not quite there, but for the NYY, the Dodgers, and the LAA / Boston / Philly / Detroits, that is a big benefit too.

[PANatsFan]

we have a winner.

A few other honorable mentions:
- Carlos Silva - 4/$48M with seattle.  Threw 180 innings with an ERA over 6.5
- Chan Ho Park - 5/$65 with Texas - over 5 ERA
- Mike Hampton - 8/$121 with the Rockies to pitch batting practice to opposing teams

Maybe Dice-K too?

some posters here went APE crap when the Nats didn't sign Silva

[welch]

- Carl Pavano. Maybe you had to see it up close: the amazing disappearing pitcher.

- Several pitchers who could pitch in San Diego but got nervous in front of big crowds such as those that tend to show at Yankee Stadium.