# What are the worst contracts in sports history? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** baseball-mlb\ **Created:** [May 16, 2008, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-worst-contracts-in-sports-history/449518 "2008-05-16T03:42:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-worst-contracts-in-sports-history/449518/41 "2008-05-20T11:29:56Z")
[QUOTE=Morbo] How about Ricky Williams in the **NoShit, Sherlock** category? Even at the time, before he got into trouble with marijuana and was a highly touted running back from Texas, everybody thought Ditka overpaid to draft him. And by overpaid I mean Ditka traded ALL of New Orleans’ draft picks from that year, AND next year’s #1 and #3 pick to get him. [/QUOTE] That’s not really in the spirit of the question, though. As **Omniscient** points out, then you get into trades, and “What are the worst trades in sports history” is really a question deserving of its own thread. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-worst-contracts-in-sports-history/449518/42 "2008-05-20T13:24:15Z")
It’s interesting that you have defined these contracts as “bad”. For the athletes involved, they are the greatest things EVER. ---
**Author:** ![ColonelDax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@ColonelDax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColonelDax)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-worst-contracts-in-sports-history/449518/43 "2008-05-20T14:54:34Z")
The dollar amounts in these two cases don’t compare with some of the other examples cited, but the Red Sox’ free-agent signings of pitchers [Matt Young](http://www.baseball-reference.com/y/youngma01.shtml) and [Danny Darwin](http://www.baseball-reference.com/d/darwida01.shtml) in December 1990 were criticized at the time. Boston paid Young $4.53 million over two years ($7.49 million in 2007 dollars), according to [baseballreference.com](http://baseballreference.com), and for what? A won-lost record over both seasons of 3-11 with a 4.92 ERA, as I calculate it, or about $1.5 million per victory. And with a career W-L record of 51-78 before joining Boston, it’s not as though he had shown a lot of promise. The Sox also paid Darwin $12 million over four seasons, which may seem like a lot for a total W-L record of 34-31 and 4.14 ERA - heck, it _is_ a lot. However, I wasn’t pissed about that because I thought Darwin pitched better than his W-L records indicated for the most part, displaying his usual excellent control (about 2.5 K’s per walk) and giving up a home run only every 13 innings or so. Darwin’s career W-L record of 171-182 may not seem too impressive, but I think it’s pretty good considering he spent the biggest chunks of his career with the 1978-84 Texas Rangers and the 1986-90 Astros, which boasted precisely one postseason appearance between them. And his career ERA was superior to the league. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-worst-contracts-in-sports-history/449518/44 "2008-05-20T15:20:55Z")
[QUOTE=mhendo] True. I remember reading when the deal was struck that Jones and his manager Scott Boras wanted either a very long deal, or a very short one. It appears they were aware that Jones’ poor 2007 was likely to reduce his market value, so they wanted to either sew up long-term money or get a short contract during which he could raise his performance and come out the other end and sign a big contract to end his career. If he doesn’t turn things around, his current contract could be the one that ends his career. [/QUOTE] Just to update, today, reports are saying Jones has a bit of torn cartilage in his knee and surgery is a possibility. ---
**Author:** ![Mullinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mullinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mullinator)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-worst-contracts-in-sports-history/449518/45 "2008-05-20T15:58:57Z")
[QUOTE=Marley23] Just to update, today, reports are saying Jones has a bit of torn cartilage in his knee and surgery is a possibility. [/QUOTE] Sort of stirkes me as coded language for “He sucks, we don’t really know why, but this gives everyone an easy out to drop him from the lineup, play someone better than AA level, and focus on the fact that Juan Pierre is an abomination at the plate.” ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2008, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-worst-contracts-in-sports-history/449518/46 "2008-05-20T21:44:17Z")
[QUOTE=Troy McClure SF] ::puts head on the desk and weeps quietly:: [/QUOTE] There, there. We can put the Worst Contract trophy on the shelf next to the Worst Trade trophy (Orlando Cepeda for Ray Sedecki). They look good together. ---
**Author:** ![bbs2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@bbs2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbs2k)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-worst-contracts-in-sports-history/449518/47 "2008-05-21T14:22:48Z")
How about the David Beckham deal to play soccer in LA. As far as I can tell it looked like he’s only played thirteen games for a whole lot of money. Then again I have the soccer insight of a baseball fan, and the Californian insight of a New Englander. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-worst-contracts-in-sports-history/449518/48 "2008-05-21T15:13:20Z")
[QUOTE=bbs2k] How about the David Beckham deal to play soccer in LA. As far as I can tell it looked like he’s only played thirteen games for a whole lot of money. Then again I have the soccer insight of a baseball fan, and the Californian insight of a New Englander. [/QUOTE] He’s sold tickets and jerseys, raised the profile of the Galaxy, and raised the profile of MLS in general to previously unthinkable heights. Even if he never played a game he’d be worth the money, just as Pele was when he signed up to play here with little to nothing left in the tank. ---
**Author:** ![bbs2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e495f1/32.png) [@bbs2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbs2k)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-worst-contracts-in-sports-history/449518/49 "2008-05-21T15:31:40Z")
[QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright] He’s sold tickets and jerseys, raised the profile of the Galaxy, and raised the profile of MLS in general to previously unthinkable heights. [/QUOTE] I’ll admit that he raised buzz in the sport, but American _interest_? I don’t know any converted soccer fans from his arrival. As opposed to Sidney Crosby making hockey exciting again, or Lebron James putting a Cleveland basketball team on the map in the past 2-3 years. Lot’s of tickets and merch for those two as well. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-worst-contracts-in-sports-history/449518/50 "2008-05-21T15:34:04Z")
[QUOTE=bbs2k] I’ll admit that he raised buzz in the sport, but American _interest_? I don’t know any converted soccer fans from his arrival. As opposed to Sidney Crosby making hockey exciting again, or Lebron James putting a Cleveland basketball team on the map in the past 2-3 years. Lot’s of tickets and merch for those two as well. [/QUOTE] I’m one. Not that I wasn’t a soccer fan before, but I couldn’t bring myself to watch MLS. Now I watch 2-3 games a month, and if the Tampa Bay Mutiny hadn’t folded I’d probably have gone to a few. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-worst-contracts-in-sports-history/449518/51 "2008-05-21T22:23:47Z")
[QUOTE=jsc1953] There, there. We can put the Worst Contract trophy on the shelf next to the Worst Trade trophy (Orlando Cepeda for Ray Sedecki). They look good together. [/QUOTE] That was the worst Giant trade? I would’ve thought George Foster for Frank Duffy or Gaylord Perry for Sam McDowell would’ve replaced it long ago. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2008, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-worst-contracts-in-sports-history/449518/52 "2008-05-21T22:29:23Z")
[QUOTE=NDP] That was the worst Giant trade? I would’ve thought George Foster for Frank Duffy or Gaylord Perry for Sam McDowell would’ve replaced it long ago. [/QUOTE] Yeah, I thought of those after the edit window closed. Plus I couldn’t remember Frank Duffy’s name. 🙂 Let’s call it a Triumvirate of Shame. ---
**Author:** ![davidw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c4cdca/32.png) [@davidw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidw)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2008, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-worst-contracts-in-sports-history/449518/53 "2008-05-22T18:27:03Z")
[QUOTE=Morbo] How about Ricky Williams in the **NoShit, Sherlock** category? Even at the time, before he got into trouble with marijuana and was a highly touted running back from Texas, everybody thought Ditka overpaid to draft him. And by overpaid I mean Ditka traded ALL of New Orleans’ draft picks from that year, AND next year’s #1 and #3 pick to get him. [/QUOTE] Actually, Ricky Williams had one of the worst contracts from a player perspective (how come these discussions always look at things from the management point of view?). Remember his agent was Master P, and most of the money was attached to ridiculous incentives that Williams couldn’t meet. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-worst-contracts-in-sports-history/449518.md?page=2)