Hindsight Is 20/20: MLB Free Agent Flops and Gems

The Three Biggest Free Agent Flops

Barry Zito – San Francisco Giants

Oh how the mighty have fallen. It's hard to imagine that this kid won the Cy Young in 2002. Not since his Cy Young year has Barry Zito won more than 16 games. He has posted double digit losses now for 5 consecutive seasons and posted an ERA over 3.80 four of the last five years. Enough about his past, let's get into more of “What have you done for me lately?” Well.......not much. After signing a 7 year contract worth a ridiculous $126 million dollars, Zito has accumulated a record of 9-12 with a 4.46 ERA. I'm pretty sure San Francisco management was expecting a bit more than what Zito has been giving them. I stressed this in an article I wrote before about Zito, he isn't a #1 starter. He relished the role of pitching behind Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder. He just doesn't have enough confidence in himself or his stuff to be an effective #1 starter.

Adam Eaton – Philadelphia Phillies ‎

The Phillies traded him away in 1999 after spending their 11th overall pick on him in 1996. The most wins he ever had in a season? 11 (twice) He has never posted an ERA lower than 4.08 and never pitched more than 200 innings. The Philadelphia Phillies, in their infinite wisdom, handed him a 3 year deal worth $24 million dollars. You know, because that makes sense. He is only making $2 million less than Barry Zito this year and has managed to be a fantastic disappointment. He is 9-9, sporting a 6.31 ERA, and has more earned runs than strikeouts. What a great investment. The last thing I read on a Phillies message board about Adam Eaton? “Can that a**hole please run into a knife?” I think that pretty much sums up whatever everyone thinks about him who's a Phillies fan.

Jason Schmidt – Los Angeles Dodgers ‎

Holy crap. The last two guys I mentioned have at least appeared in more than 6 games this season. Jason Schmidt is making $15.7 million dollars this season and has won one game...one. The Los Angeles Dodgers signed this guy in hopes that he would be their number one starter and instead has become best friends with the Dodgers trainer. Jason is 1-4 with a 6.31 ERA and has pitched a whopping 25 innings. In his six starts he got out of the 5 th inning once. This is the second time in his career that Schmidt has undergone season-ending shoulder surgery. BREAKING NEWS: Mike Schmidt is not related to Jason Schmidt and has pitched the same amount of innings Jason has since June 16th.

Honorable Mention

J.D. Drew - .264 BA / 8 HR / 51 RBI / Salary $14.4 million

Julio Lugo - .241 BA / 6 HR / 69 RBI / Salary $8.25 million

Mike Mussina - 5.28 ERA / 9-10 Record / .314 BAA / Salary $11 million (He was eligible for free agency)

The Three Biggest Free Agent Gems

Dmitri Young – Washington Nationals

Signed a minor league contract with Nationals, is making $500,000, and sports the 6 th best batting average in the National League. A cast off from the Tigers after he assaulted his wife and went through substance abuse problems, Young has become one of the good stories in baseball after turning it around on and off the field in Washington. Dmitri has accumulated 38 doubles, 13 home runs, and 73 runs batted in this season. Selected to the all-star team for 2 nd time in his career, Young is batting .314 with runners in scoring position and leads his team in BA, OPS, and OBP. The Nationals have rewarded the soon to be Comeback Player of the Year with a 2 year extension worth $10 million dollars. A deserving reward for a player who was on the brink of ruining his baseball career.

Carlos Pena - Tampa Bay Devil Rays

Pena hadn't played more than 100 games since 2004 and had only 33 at-bats last year when shared time with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. No one was really interested in Carlos when he hit the free agent market but the Tampa Bay Devil Rays gave him a shot, and boy has it paid off. Pena is currently earning $800,000 dollars and in the top 5 in the American League in HR (39), BB (86), SLG% (.613), RBI (111), and finally in OPS (1.013). Consider that Jason Giambi has been on the DL and is currently making $23 million dollars while batting .243 with 14 home runs, maybe the New York Yankees should have kept Pena around? Realistically though, no one saw this coming. Before this season Pena never had more than 116 hits in a season, an average over .253, or an on base percentage over .338. (based on seasons with >100AB) I can guarantee you though that the Devil Rays aren't complaining.

Ted Lilly - Chicago Cubs

Unlike the last two guys I mentioned Lilly is being paid big bucks ($10 million over 4 years) but unlike the three pitchers I mentioned in my free agent flops, Lilly has been solid. He showed promise during just one season in Toronto in which he was 15-13 with a 4.31 ERA and has only gotten better with the Cubs. He is currently rocking a 15-7 record to go along with a 3.85 ERA. Lilly is on pace to set career highs in innings pitched, wins, strikeouts, and games started. Lilly is leading the Cubs in quality starts (18), WHIP (1.15), and ERA (3.85). The 31-year old has always been a solid 3 rd or 4 th starter but this year is really becoming a rock as the Cubs 2nd starter behind fire baller Carlos Zambrano. Without this guy the Chicago Cubs would certainly not be fighting for a playoff spot.