Darin Erstad: dumbest contract in baseball?

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This guy is a real waste of space in the Angels' starting lineup. I'm a Cubs fan so I don't care too much, but I remember when they signed him to the big deal several years back and how everyone was crowing that this was the most important signing of the year, and STILL Erstad is talked up incessantly by Hudler and whoever else is in the Angels booth.

I'm trying to think of worse signings, I can't think of any (Chan-Ho Park and Mike Hampton, maybe, I dunno...)

― Gear! (Gear!), Friday, 25 June 2004 18:29 (twenty years ago) link

If you want recent contract stinkbombs from guys not in the league anymore: Derek Bell & Mike Benjamin to thread!

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 25 June 2004 18:35 (twenty years ago) link

or on the dl (mondesi)

― dyson (dyson), Friday, 25 June 2004 18:39 (twenty years ago) link

I think the Angels are pretty good with signings, and this offseason I thought getting Guillen and Guerrero was ballsy. But Erstad...man, they could have a great starting pitcher at that price tag.

― Gear! (Gear!), Friday, 25 June 2004 18:41 (twenty years ago) link

Man, I'm not out of baseball, I'm still in Operation Shut-Down.

― Derek Bell (boldbury), Friday, 25 June 2004 18:42 (twenty years ago) link

I want an Operation: Shutdown t-shirt.

The Darren Dreifort signing was pretty dopey, too. And the Perez formerly on the Dodgers (not Odalis) that had a Dodger blue glove and spent his last 2 years in the majors on a shuttle between Roswell & Chavez Ravine. Kendall's contract is possibly a bit out of whack with what he can do. And how about that Sidney Ponson signing, Orioles fans?

It's safe to say that if Cam Bonifay or Kevin Malone or pre-SABR Allard Baird was your GM, or you were a middle reliever, you probably got paid a lot more than you should've.

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 25 June 2004 18:53 (twenty years ago) link

Albert Belle, people.

― hstencil (hstencil), Friday, 25 June 2004 19:08 (twenty years ago) link

MARVIN BERNARD FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!

Did you know?:

Neifi Perez makes $.6M/YR. more than Marquis Grissom?

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 25 June 2004 19:15 (twenty years ago) link

But the Belle signing wasn't so dumb at the time of the signing - it just turned out to be dumb because he had a bum hip. (Here's a happy-go-lucky Albert Belle chronology from CNN/SI.) Everyone else listed, though, qualified as a bad signing the minute the pen hit the dotted line.

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 25 June 2004 19:18 (twenty years ago) link

I'm surprised Neifi's making $.6 M!!!

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 25 June 2004 19:19 (twenty years ago) link

$2.1M vs. $1.5M

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 25 June 2004 19:19 (twenty years ago) link

Chan Ho is so much worse than Erstad. Or any of the times the Rangers signed Gonzalez for $10mln+/yr

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Friday, 25 June 2004 19:23 (twenty years ago) link

David Wells, then? That one pitcher dude the White Sox traded with the bum shoulder?

― hstencil (hstencil), Friday, 25 June 2004 19:23 (twenty years ago) link

Didn't the Rangers overpay for another pitcher at the same time as Chan Ho?

TWO POINT ONE MILLION FOR NEIFI PEREZ? No wonder the Giants can't afford to make any trades. How much're they paying Deivi Cruz - $3.5 M?

The Wells / Mike Sirotka deal was all sorts of FUBAR.

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 25 June 2004 19:26 (twenty years ago) link

When did the Angels resign Erstad? If it was after the world series, keep in mind he had a good year that year and two years before that had a great season. He is bit like Kirk Gibson, the guy plays hard as he can but is always hurt. Erstad seems to have lost all power in his bat from the injuries (ala Mattingly).

― earlnash, Friday, 25 June 2004 19:32 (twenty years ago) link

The way I look at it like is: $3.6 million for Marquis Grissom and Neifi Perez is probably pretty fair. Unfortunately the contract isn't the way the players would want it but neither one will be playing for the Giants next year so who really cares.

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 25 June 2004 19:37 (twenty years ago) link

Jeff Hammonds! Just goes to show what happens when you deal with Stanfurd alums.
Deivi Cruz is hitting .324!

― Leeefuse 73 (Leee), Friday, 25 June 2004 20:15 (twenty years ago) link

And that's probably his OBP and fielding percentage, too!

― David R. (popshots75`), Friday, 25 June 2004 20:42 (twenty years ago) link

I was thinking about picking up Rod Barajas in my league as a backup catcher but his single walk this season gave me pause. besides, I have Javy already...

― Gear! (Gear!), Friday, 25 June 2004 20:51 (twenty years ago) link

how many teams are in your league, gear!?

in our league, barajas is rated #9, just ahead of posada.

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 25 June 2004 20:57 (twenty years ago) link

― Gear! (Gear!), Friday, 25 June 2004 21:01 (twenty years ago) link

I'm in fifth place precisely because I have no speed or saves (1 point in each). I've got power and runs and RBI and wins and Ks and ERA up the wazoo

― Gear! (Gear!), Friday, 25 June 2004 21:01 (twenty years ago) link

for saves: try to trade for takatsu or lidge or urbina.

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 25 June 2004 21:15 (twenty years ago) link

The Dodgers wrote the book on dumbass contracts. I'm surprised nobody mentioned Shawn Green yet.

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Friday, 25 June 2004 23:49 (twenty years ago) link

That was stupid although to be fair the first two seasons Green played in L.A. were pretty great.

― Gear! (Gear!), Friday, 25 June 2004 23:57 (twenty years ago) link

The first season was a big falloff from his previous two in Toronto. He was coming off a 972 OPS season, and his first year in LA it was 839 with just 24 homers. Not bad, but that's not worth 84 million. The next two years he was great, and last year and this year he's fallen off, bigtime.

― Barry Bruner (Barry Bruner), Saturday, 26 June 2004 04:12 (twenty years ago) link

right right I meant the second and third years. everyone gave him a pass on the first one I think because he was coming into a new league.

― Gear! (Gear!), Saturday, 26 June 2004 16:15 (twenty years ago) link

Didn't Green that first season hit like a mf'er in the second half after a dead start, starting with a three homer game in Milwaukee and hitting something crazy like eight in a three game series?

― earlnash, Saturday, 26 June 2004 22:38 (twenty years ago) link

actually that was the second season I think, because he started out that year similar to how he did last year, and then he had that game where he hit four HR and 2 doubles and went 6 for 6, which turned it all around for him. I don't know what the hell is wrong with him now, he's hitting like Bump Wills up there.

― Gear! (Gear!), Sunday, 27 June 2004 00:53 (twenty years ago) link

Among contracts of guys who are somewhat productive, Jeff Bagwell's contract is onerous... and his salary goes UP to some absurd figure ($18 M?) after this year. He's old, has a bum shoulder and figures to keep declining.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Monday, 28 June 2004 13:09 (twenty years ago) link

I'm secretely hoping that Bagwell will retire after this year. I'm beginning to think he'll never get to 500 home runs even if he does play out his current contract. If he retires, it will free up money to resign Berkman and Oswalt to long-term deals (or maybe even make a decent run at re-signing Beltran).

― boldbury (boldbury), Monday, 28 June 2004 13:24 (twenty years ago) link

Erstad must have gotten the message, he got a bunch of hits this weekend against the Dodgers.

― earlnash, Monday, 28 June 2004 14:12 (twenty years ago) link

ILB shows its influence yet again.

― Gear! (Gear!), Monday, 28 June 2004 15:41 (twenty years ago) link

Poops, go start a "Mark Bellhorn: 75 HRs?!?!?" thread stat!

― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 28 June 2004 16:22 (twenty years ago) link

I'm going to begin a "Prior/Wood: 5 K's for every H/BB?"

― Gear! (Gear!), Monday, 28 June 2004 16:27 (twenty years ago) link

"RANDALL SIMON TAKES A PITCH!"

― David R. (popshots75`), Monday, 28 June 2004 16:44 (twenty years ago) link

I think we over here at ILB could conceivably take the credit for Vinny Castilla walking more this year.

― Gear! (Gear!), Monday, 28 June 2004 16:47 (twenty years ago) link

eleven months pass...

i thought there wasa thread about the list of dudes who play baseball the white...errr, right way, but this will suffice:

-uhhh...erstad laying out johnny estrada?

― jonathan quayle higgins (j.q. higgins), Thursday, 9 June 2005 16:10 (nineteen years ago) link

this gritty motherfucker still contends for the worst contract. If the Angels had even someone on a Hatteberg/Spiezio level at 1B, they'd be a little more secure.

― Gear! (can Jung shill it, Mu?) (Gear!), Thursday, 9 June 2005 17:03 (nineteen years ago) link

Sandfrog is available! For bar mitzvahs, weddings, corporate outings, etc!

The Angels get what they deserve - "hey, let's move our best defensive OF to a defensively lite position so his lack of slugging and poor plate patience totally screws us in the pooch! And let's bat him second, too! Come on, 2000! COME ON!"

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 9 June 2005 17:09 (nineteen years ago) link

'darin erstad' is an anagram for 'estrada rind'!

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 9 June 2005 17:32 (nineteen years ago) link

"If the Angels had even someone on a Hatteberg/Spiezio level at 1B, they'd be a little more secure."

Scioscia would probably just put Erstad back in the outfield.

― Earl Nash (earlnash), Thursday, 9 June 2005 18:51 (nineteen years ago) link

"Hope you like sh*tting through a tube, Mr. Ed!"

― Jams Murphy (ystrickler), Thursday, 9 June 2005 19:09 (nineteen years ago) link

If I may toot myself, my favorite line was: "You'd probably take pride in working a doorknob, wouldn't you, Jethro?"

― David R. (popshots75`), Thursday, 9 June 2005 19:11 (nineteen years ago) link

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