He also brings putrid postseason performance!

He also brings putrid postseason performance!

Zing!

Luckily for Cleveland, that's unlikely to be an issue.

Zing, Part Two!

the largest free in Cleveland history

Yikes. Although I originally read that as 4/$56 being the largest but I'm assuming an editing error has occurred and it's the "largest FA contract". Still yikes.

So anybody want to do the digging on largest contract and largest FA contract in each team's history (and year of signing)?

I figured Swisher would have grown a fu Manchu or a crazy Jesus beard or something by now, with his newfound facial hair freedom.

Depending how we include extensions Roger Clemens 4/40 might still be the Jays biggest?

EDIT: Ah no, BJ Ryan 5/47, AJ Burnett 5/55

So anybody want to do the digging on largest contract and largest FA contract in each team's history (and year of signing)?

Largest contracts:

NYY: A-Rod, $275 million/10 years, 2007
BAL:
TBR:
TOR: Vernon Wells, $126 million/7 years, 2007
BOS: Manny Ramirez, $160 million/8 years, 2000
DET: Prince Fielder, $214 million/9 years, 2011
CHW:
KCR:
MIN: Joe Mauer, $184 million/8 years, 2010
CLE:
LAA: Albert Pujols, $240 million/10 years, 2011
TEX: A-Rod, $250 million/10 years, 2000
OAK:
SEA: Felix Hernandez, $175 million/7 years, 2012
HOU: Carlos Lee, $100 million/6 years, 2006
NYM: Johan Santana, $137.5 million/6 years, 2007
WAS: Jayson Werth, $126 million/7 years, 2010
ATL:
PHI: Ryan Howard, $125 million/5 years, 2010
MIA: Jose Reyes, $106 million/6 years, 2011
CIN: Joey Votto, $225 million/10 years, 2012
STL: Matt Holliday, $120 million/7 years, 2009
MIL:
PIT:
CHC: Alfonso Soriano, $136 million/8 years, 2006
SFG: Barry Zito, $126 million/7 years, 2006
COL: Troy Tulowitzki, $157.75 million/10 years, 2010
LAD: Matt Kemp, $160 million/8 years, 2011
SDP:
ARI:

That's from the Wikipedia list of biggest contracts. Can anyone fill in the blanks?

Just looking at biggest current contracts is probably close enough for some of them:

Bal:

Adam Jones cf
6 years/$85.5M (2013-18)

White Sox:

John Danks lhp
5 years/$65M (2012-16)

KC:

Alex Gordon lf
4 years/$37.5M (2012-15), plus 2016 option

TB:

Evan Longoria 3b
6 years/$17.5M (2008-13), plus 2014-16 club options
6 years/$100M (2017-22), plus 2023 club option

Oak:

Eric Chavez
?6 years/$66M (2005-10), plus 2011 club option

Cle:

Nick Swisher of-1b
4 years/$56M (2013-16), plus 2017 option

Atl:

Dan Uggla 2b
5 years/$62M (2011-15)

Mil:

Ryan Braun lf
8 years/$45M (2008-15)
5 years/$105M (2016-20), plus 2021 mutual option

Pitt:

Andrew McCutchen of
6 years/$51.5M (2012-17), plus 2018 option

SD:

Carlos Quentin of
3 years/$27M (2013-15), plus 2016 option

Must be something bigger than that in the past? Will be Headley if they can sign him.

AZ:

Miguel Montero c
5 years/$60M (2013-17)

I completely missed that one. But I don't think RJ ever got more than that.

I bet those are mostly right.

Actually KC would still be Meche at 5 yr/55M.

The Pirates' biggest contract must be the McCutchen one.

I actually think the biggest contract they've ever given to an unrestricted free agent, as opposed to contract extensions for their own players, is this year's $15M/2yr to Russell Martin. And I think their second-biggest is $9M/3yr to Wil Cordero in 1999. I may be forgetting something.

Manny Ramirez, $160 million/8 years, 2000

Of the first list, only one to provide awesome value overall, though there are a few "wait and sees" there with Votto, Felix and Tulo.

6 years/$17.5M (2008-13)

Longoria's deal was just off the charts good for TB.

I believe the Braves' biggest contract is the one just given to B.J. Upton (5/75).

The Mets biggest and longest is Carlos Beltran.

If A-Rod had played out his first contract, that probably would've been a good one, which is pretty impressive over ten years.

The Mets biggest and longest is Carlos Beltran.

Interesting, but we're talking about contracts here.

The Mets biggest and longest is Carlos Beltran.

Notwithstanding #14--which I enjoyed, even if I'm not proud of it--Santana's is (ahem) bigger, if not as long.

Notwithstanding #14--which I enjoyed, even if I'm not proud of it--Santana's is (ahem) bigger, if not as long.

Yeah, my bad, I meant FA contract. Santana (and Wright's which is bigger for more money) were extensions.

6 years/$17.5M (2008-13)

Longoria's deal was just off the charts good for TB.

Vinny Castilla 2000-1, 2/$13.5 provided nearly the same value. :-)

Juan Guzman, 2/$12M over the same period also worked out well.

Oak:

Eric Chavez
?6 years/$66M (2005-10), plus 2011 club option

*throws chair*

*throws chair*

It's ok, Billy. You could only sign one of the Tejada/Giambi/Chavez group long-term, and you bet on the wrong horse. Happens to the best of us.

It's ok, Billy. You could only sign one of the Tejada/Giambi/Chavez group long-term, and you bet on the wrong horse. Happens to the best of us.

Yes, but signing the last one to reach FA was a pretty clear mistake. If you sign the first, you keep all three together for the longest, and maximize your chances for a WS.

Largest contracts:
CLE:

Unless I'm missing one in the past few years, it's Travis Hafner's 4/$57 deal that ran from 2009-2012.

Yes, but signing the last one to reach FA was a pretty clear mistake. If you sign the first, you keep all three together for the longest, and maximize your chances for a WS.

Chavez was by far the youngest of the group, so that's something.
Looking back, the only year after that the A's got close to the playoffs without getting in was 2004 - and Chavez was the best non-pitcher on the team that year.
So maybe it didn't cost the team any pennants, but it sure was sad to watch Chavez fall apart, piece by piece.

It's possible that having Tejada instead of Chavez helps them in the 2006 playoffs, but Eric had an .872 OPS in the series that they lost.

It's ok, Billy. You could only sign one of the Tejada/Giambi/Chavez group long-term, and you bet on the wrong horse. Happens to the best of us.

Of course another option would have been to sign all three and keep the interest in the team middle of the AL pack instead of bottom of pack. Yes it would have meant sacrificing Jason Kendall, Scott Hatteberg, Jermaine Dye, Damian Miller, Bobby Crosby, Joe Blanton and Mark Kotsay but I could have lived with that.

A-Rod, $275 million/10 years, 2007

Snicker.

Of course another option would have been to sign all three and keep the interest in the team middle of the AL pack instead of bottom of pack.

I don't think that was really an option. Starting when Giambi left, here are the salaries all three made, with the A's total payroll:

2002: $16,178,571 ($40,004,167)
2003: $20,228,571 ($50,260,834)
2004: $22,753,571 ($59,425,667)
2005: $32,928,571 ($55,425,762)
2006: $40,928,571 ($62,242,079)
2007: $46,739,986 ($79,366,940)

In 2008, Giambi, Tejada and Chavez alone made more than the whole A's payroll.

I suppose you could argue they should have kept Giambi into 2003, and made a run at it, but the 2002 and 2003 teams were pretty sucessful. Giambi was awful in 2004, so there's no case there, and the payroll really only works because Tejada's salary actually went down as part of back-loading his Orioles contract. I don't think Damian Miller's $3 million was keeping the A's from signing those guys. The market got away from them.

EDIT: Now, if you want to say the A's ownership should have opened their wallets, that's a different issue. But that wasn't what I got from your comment.