Ten Worst Offseason Signings Part 1

I hope that you realize that the 2006 free agent was probably one of the worst in recent memory. So these deals are very bad and pretty weak. Some of these signings I don’t like for the length of the contract they signed, how much money some players were paid and some that just me scratch my head.

Honorable Mention: (C) Mike Piazza agrees to a one year $2 million dollar with the San Diego Padres. Don’t get me wrong this is a great deal for the Padres. One year and $ 2 million dollars to see if Piazza has anything left in the tank isn’t that much of a risk at all when your other primary option is Doug Mirabelli behind the plate. Not that I have anything wrong with Doug who is 35 and last year hit .228/.309/.412 and last played in over a hundred games……never. So adding Piazza who hit .251/.326/.452 in 113 games with 19 HRs last year and .311/.382/.555 with 397 HRs for his career is good move the Padres. The fact that he has done all of that damage in some of the worst hitting ballparks in the NL (Dodger Stadium, Pro Player Stadium and Shea Stadium) makes this deal even better. But it isn’t a good deal for the Padres because you still leave Piazza’s greatest weakness in the game on the field and that’s he defense. Piazza is just horrible defensively these days. He never has been able to throw out base runners and his range behind the plate is now completely gone. He’s never been the best calling catcher in the game either. Mostly I don’t like this deal for Piazza. He either of gone (the supposed) Sammy route and retired or he should of gone to the AL. This should have been the season that Piazza went to the AL and DH’d for some team. He could have put his defensive problems behind him, padded his offensive stats and stay healthy for an entire season. No one would have blamed him. Instead he goes to the NL’s toughest hitter ballpark Petco Field, he has to try and stay healthy120-140 games and he has to continue to hear daily how bad his defense is and for a team that will be lucky to finish third in bad division all for $2 million dollars next year. He should of retired no one would have blamed him.

10) (OF) Jeromy Burnitz signs a one year deal with Pittsburgh for $6.7 million dollars. Umm…Why? This is a question for both the team and the player. What does Jeromy Burnitz, .258/.322/.435 with 24 HRs and 87 RBI in cozy Wrigley Field, do for your team that Craig Wilson, .264/.387/.421 in spacious PNC Park, doesn’t give you $3.7 million dollars less? Sure Burnitz is better defensively but if you are the Pirates why not take the hit on defense and spend the money on better pitching. Yeah they have some good younger guys this year in Zack Duke and Paul Maholm but come back these guys up. The question the Pirates have to ask themselves is; are we going to win the division because we got Jeromy Burnitz? The answer with or without Burnitz is no.

9) Cardinals sign (RP) Braden Looper to a 3 year $13.5 million dollar contract. The Cardinals are a smart team but I still don’t like this move for St. Louis. Sure they don’t expect Looper to close (this season) and getting out of New York may also help him relax but I don’t buy it. He was really awful last season blowing 8 saves and ending up with a record of 4-7 with an ERA of 3.94 along with 28 saves. What’s most scary is his K:BB (strikeouts vs. bases on balls) ratio last year a horrible 27:22. In 2004 Looper had a great K:BB ratio 60:16. This leads me to believe that besides his never adjusting to New York there also maybe shoulder problems. The Cardinals thinking seems to be that everybody loves it here in St. Louis and once Looper gets here and realizes that he’ll pitch like he used to. After a season setting up Jason Isringhausen he could assume closing duties for the Cards in 2007 if Izzie retires. But remember he also had problems closing for the Marlins. But three years is simply too many for a mid market team like the Cardinals to invest in a pitcher who maybe injured.

8) A.J. Burnett strikes gold in Toronto agreeing to a 5 year $55 million dollar contract. J.P. Riccardi reeled himself in a Marlin but he had to use some huge ass bait this time. I’m sorry to tell you this J.P. but five year deals on pitching never work out good for the teams involved. Examples you ask? How about Chan Ho Park, Kevin Brown or Mike Hampton? Earlier Riccardi was asked why a five year deal and he joked because he didn’t want to give Burnett a six year deal. So you’re paying $11 million per season to a pitcher who has averaged a 7-7 won-loss record, 3.78 ERA in 122 IP with a K:BB ratio of 2:1 (108:54) per season. Oh and in the second best pitchers park in the NL. Also on a team that was good enough to win the World Series which Florida did in the 2003 season. What was Burnett’s contribution that season? 0-2 with an ERA of 4.70 in four starts before having Tommy John surgery. Did I mention how last season ended? He was kicked off the team down the stretch while the Marlins were crumbling to the finish line. The Jays have to hope that Roy Halladay and Burnett’s reuniting with his former Pitching Coach Brad Arnsberg can settle him down.

6) Baltimore signs (OF/1B/DH) Kevin Millar to a $2.1 million dollar one year contract. Baltimore follows that up by signing (OF/1B/DH) Jeff Conine to a $1.7 million dollar one year contract. For more awfulness continue to number five.

5) Ramon Hernandez (C) scores a 4 year $27.5 million dollar contract with the Orioles. Now the Orioles already had (C) Javy Lopez under contract for this season as well as (1B/OF) Jay Gibbons. Ramon Hernandez now moves in as the Orioles fulltime catcher. Lopez now will see much less time behind the plate and more time at first base and DH. Jay Gibbons who was supposed to be Rafael Palmero’s successor at first base now moves back to the OF. Where he wasn’t a particularly good fielder. Millar then plays first base/DH/ and platoons with Gibbons against tough left handed pitchers in the OF. Conine then plays ? The problems with having Lopez, Millar and Conine on the roster is that they are all right handed, none are going to top their 2005 stats by much and their respective ages are 35/34/39. Last year Millar hit .272/.355/.399 with 9 HRs and 50 RBI. Conine hit .304/.374/.403 with 3 HRs and 33 RBI. Lopez hit .278/.322/.458 15 HRs and 49 RBI. Even if the Orioles were able to trade Lopez, who is owed $ 7.5 million dollars this season, that leave the O’s with Millar, Conine and Gibbons at DH, 1B and LF those are three big power position and not a lot of power. Plus Ramon Hernandez is 29 and has already caught 805 games (most catchers rapidly decline after 1,000 games caught in their careers). Hernandez did have a decent season last season in a tough pitcher’s park (.290/.322/.450) with 12 HRs and 58 RBI. He’s also good defensively. But offensively last year was probably his best and he’s unlikely to play at level for the next two years. If the Orioles don’t want out of this contract by the time Hernandez is turning 32 I’d be amazed.