Not even close. There are 3 in the NBA (Wall, Paul, Wiggins) that are I can name off the top of my head and Joe Mauers last contract in MLB

Why? The contract is more complex then that. Manny isn't turning down 30 million a year for 5 of his 31+year old years. They may have to eat some money in a trade though.

what makes howards uniquely bad is that it was a completely unnecessary extension signed two years before his current deal was going to end.

Kenny Williams saying ChiSox offered more

LOL

why? seems like a freeroll on the chance he might take it

I think Poohole is rolling up to spring training in a wheelchair. That's got to be up there for garbage contracts.

Because either hes produces to a level in which $30m a year is low and he bails or he produces to a level in which $30m a year is overpaying and he stays for 5 more in his 31-36 years.

When you sign a deal thats this long you're doing it banking on the fact that the future market is one that values their production higher than it does now due to inflation, competition, whatever. By giving him a player option after 5 you never, ever get that opportunity. If the market does value it higher, he leaves. If it doesn't, you're paying for 5 more years.

Howard
AROD
Pujols
Fielder
Hamilton
Ellsbury
Crawford
Sandoval
Stanton
Wright
Cespedes
Zito
Hampton
Werth
Bay

Prob more, that’s just off the top of my head

This x1,000,000.

Is there any actual evidence of collusion? Or just whiners being whiners?

Have you guys not seen Chris Davis's contract?

Yu Darvish?

with a longer deal you are usually intending to get surplus value at the front end in exchange for some negative value on the back end.

if he opts out because he was so good over the first five years that he thinks he can make more than 150 over the next five that is a huge win for san diego

It seems like people fail to adjust for the fact that most players in the league's contracts generate a massive ROI for the club when evaluating the value of veterans/free agents.

An 85 win team signing a player for "20 million in value" could be worth 50+m to that team


In a non collusive environment where MostProfitPossible isnt the soul objective of politically protected owners these Vets would be correctly paid way more $$$

Add two more to the list

Jason Heyward?

Greinke isn't considered bad? Woohooo!

Felix Hernandez?
Sabathia?

I think Fielder/Howard/Hamilton are the worst due to lack of playing/production.

Prince was already paid for the 2019 and the 2020 season at $24M each. lol

Miguel Cabrera's contract was infinitely worse. They still had him under contract for two more years when they added on eight more years that started when he was 33.

That's fair

I take it back

ZiPS projects manny to be worth $302MM over the next 10 years, fwiw. With the farm system that San Diego has coming through the chute, I think this is the best result for baseball, tbh. Harper to the Phillies now and then someone go sign Keuchel and let's baseball.

If I was a Padres fan I'd be excited. Yea it's going to be an albatross if he doesn't opt out but they'll be contending in years 2-5 at least.

Better than the Braves who refuse to increase payroll even though they're making more money every year.

I don't see a problem with Machado at 10/300. To me, Hosmer's contract at half the money is worse, as Hosmer is not half as good as Machado.

Also, largest FA contract in history is a bit misleading due to inflation, as when A-Rod signed for 10/250 18 years ago, if you look at the way salaries have grown since then, it's closer to 10/450 today probably. And A-Rod was completely worth the money too.

Sabathia was worth every penny.

Chris Davis is the worst contract hands down. Ryan Howard is close, but Davis really takes the cake.

The Phillies signed Ryan Howard to a 5/$125m extension while still having him signed for two more years. Those extra 5 years saw Ryan Howard achieve a combined -4.6 WAR.

To compare to other names listed:

- Prince Fielder had +0.2 WAR in his stint with Texas

- Chris Davis has gotten +0.4 WAR in his first 3 years of his 7/161 contract

- Sabathia signed for 7/161 for the 2009-2015 seasons and provided 21.4 WAR

- Josh Hamilton signed for 5/125 for the 2013-2017 seasons and provided 3.2 WAR

- Pujols signed for 10/240 for the 2012-2021 seasons and has provided 13.3 WAR



The only one that can even reasonably dethrone Howard as the worst baseball contract ever is Davis

I think just sorting by cumulative negative WAR is a little misleading - Pablo Sandoval got $100mm for -2.4 WAR, but only over 300 games. Ryan Howard forced his way into less value total, but in 545 games. Had the Red Sox kept running him out there, Sandoval would have been a bigger negative than Howard, he just never got the opportunity.

Plus, there's some value to resigning a homegrown playoff hero like Howard. Sandoval was a mercenary, hated immediately, and everyone knew that contract was awful from the jump. I bet some people were at least ambivalent about Howard on the day of the signing.

Edited to add - $72mm for Rusney Castillo is pretty horrific too, but he still manages to have a career MLB WAR in the positive.

Trump is president, the Padres are giving 300 million to 1 player. The end times are upon us.

Vernon Wells contract was really bad.. Ellsbury...too