Here is the listing of the 'ALL overpaid team' in baseball.
C: Ivan Rodriguez, Detroit, $12.38 million – From All-Star last season to platoon this year, Rodriguez’s bat has turned limp. He doesn’t get nearly the blame he deserves, because he’s 36 and catchers are supposed to age quickly, but that doesn’t explain: Why, exactly, did the Tigers pick up his ludicrous option instead of just buying him out for $3 million?
1B: Richie Sexson, Seattle, $15.5 million – With general manager Bill Bavasi fired Monday, the Mariners could finally cut ties with Sexson, the biggest mistake of Bavasi’s tenure. He’s been even worse than last season, striking out once every three at-bats, getting on base less than 30 percent of the time and slugging below .400. A disaster in every manner possible.
2B: Jeff Kent, Los Angeles Dodgers, $9 million – The first of many Dodgers on this list. Certainly not the most illustrious, though.
SS: Derek Jeter, New York Yankees, $21.6 million – He’s on pace for the worst year of his career by a long shot offensively, his defense is subpar even by his standards and he’s the third-highest-paid player in baseball. No amount of leadership can make that worth more than $20 million.
3B: Nomar Garciaparra, Los Angeles Dodgers, $9.52 million – Nope, he doesn’t take the cake, either, even though he’s had only 31 at-bats this season and more setbacks in rehab than Lindsay Lohan.
OF: Andruw Jones, Los Angeles Dodgers, $18.1 million – That honor goes to Jones, who came into camp looking like he’d spent his offseason interning in a Hostess factory and ended up on the disabled list, which protested because it was worried that it might break if he sat on it. Jones wouldn’t be the first to land on the All-Overpaid and All-Overweight teams simultaneously.
OF: The entire Los Angeles Angels outfield rotation, $54 million – For that much money, you figure Garret Anderson ($12.6 million), Gary Matthews Jr. ($9.4 million), Torii Hunter ($16.5 million) and Vladimir Guerrero ($15.5 million) can do better than the following rankings in left-field, center-field and right-field OPS; 23rd, 12th and 26th.
OF: Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle, $17.1 million – Much like Jeter, Suzuki lands here because his persona made it such that his team overpaid to keep him. Mariners manager John McLaren hopes a move to right field will invigorate Suzuki, whose average is still below .300 and can’t even eclipse a .400 slugging percentage.
DH: Gary Sheffield, Detroit, $13.3 million – Another close escape for the $23.4 million man, Jason Giambi. Instead we’re here to celebrate Sheffield’s fragility and another senseless Detroit contract for players nearing the ends of their career. Sheffield’s power is gone, and he didn’t have much else anyway.
SP: Carl Pavano, New York Yankees, $11 million – King of Bad Contracts, we crown thee.
SP: Barry Zito, San Francisco, $14.5 million – Zito is the prince, and his reign isn’t far off. He could lose 20 games. Batters are hitting .320 off him. He hasn’t struck out as many as he has walked. Five years, $101.5 million left on his deal? Heaven help the Giants.
SP: Jason Schmidt, Los Angeles Dodgers, $15.2 million – While the Dodgers’ deals aren’t as damaging long-term as others because the contracts are for shorter length, it only makes the egregious misses stand out more. Soreness crept back into Schmidt’s shoulder during his latest comeback attempt, and it stands to reason we’re not going to see him again this year – or, perhaps, period.
SP: Matt Morris, Pittsburgh, $10.03 million – What a retirement present.
SP: Mike Hampton, Atlanta, $15.98 million – This is the farewell to Hampton, whose eight-year, $121 million contract expires after this season (with the requisite $6 million buyout). In his honor, we present a poem:
Hamstring, elbow, Tommy John
Disabled list you’re always on
Mr. Hampton, you’re the best
Working on three years’ rest
RP: Eric Gagne, Milwaukee, $10 million – Ineffective first and injured now, Gagne is among the great casualties of steroid testing. No longer is he an intimidating figure with a terrifying fastball and changeup. No, with glasses and unkempt hair, he actually looks more like a geek.
RP: Danys Baez, Baltimore, $6.17 million – Of all the Orioles’ ill-fated relief signings two years ago – sorry, Jamie Walker and Chad Bradford are not worth multi-year deals, either – Baez stands out. He won’t pitch an inning this season.
RP: Derrick Turnbow, Milwaukee, $3.37 million – The Brewers should have just designated him for assignment before the season. Instead, they got 25 baserunners in 6 1/3 innings before they sent him to Triple-A, where he’s now trying to become a starter. He has walked 30 in 11 1/3 innings.
RP: Mark Prior, San Diego, $1 million – And to think, other teams wanted to offer him more. Seeing as this exceeds the minimum Prior was eligible to receive by about half a million dollars, it doesn’t make him overpaid, per se. At this point, though, signing Prior is like throwing away money, which is one of the sad stories of this era.
sports.yahoo.com
