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This has to be the worst contract in MLB history.

Tory...I think you are on to something. The Pavano deal is still the worst, but this may take 2nd place. At least Zito hasn't been injured. But what a waste. He had some very good years and was supposed to be the man....

Tory...I think you are on to something. ...sorry...I meant Troy.

I forogt about Pavano. That was pretty darn bad.

Mike Hampton is a contender too...

Hamtpon is definitly on the list. As is Jarrett Wright for the Yanks.

Chan Ho Park's ranger deal has to be on the list also.

His slump has been 2 years and running.....

Troy - I think the Hampton deal is by far the worst. That big of a contract with measly numbers...But you guys are right about Pavano, Wright, Chan Ho...

mike hampton was a pretty bad call also.

How about Roger Clemens deal last season?

Don't forget the Red Sox version of Pavano, Matt Clement. However the Zito deal is far and away the worst. I don't think any of these other guys mentioned are even in the same league as the Zito deal. Zito has far more years and money than any of the other deals. Zito would actually be helping the Giants if he got hurt for the rest of the years.

and $50 million for Kei Igawa

Let's go Rangers!
Haskins | 04/24/08, 09:15 AM

The perfect team to mention while discussing teams that got fleeced by free agents

Roger's last year isn't anywhere near Hampton/Pavano/Zito.

Jack Goff - Great point....

METS4LIFE - Another great point....

It's too early to tell which is worse between the Zito & Hampton contracts. In his couple of years in Denver, Hampton was a disaster even worse than Zito has been so far, but Hampton then had some decent stretches with the Braves. Of course, he has now been on the shelf forever.

Judging the contracts at the time they were signed, however, the Zito deal is definitely dumber. Hampton was coming off of several hreat seasons in a row when he signed his deal in 2000. His implosion was relatively unforeseeable. In contrast, Zito had been in obvious decline for several years running before signing his big contract; the guy's lowest season ERA since 2003 was 3.83.

Living in DFW, I honestly don't think I'd go to a Rangers game with free tickets, not even to a luxury box. Not only are they the worst team in baseball, but the new Cowboy's stadium has basically forced all traffic to the stadium onto 1 or 2 streets. GENIUS!!

At least he's not Kevin Brown..... yet?

Tory...I think you are on to something. The Pavano deal is still the worst, but this may take 2nd place. At least Zito hasn't been injured. But what a waste. He had some very good years and was supposed to be the man....

Me DUM DUM | 04/24/08, 08:32 AM

I don't think he was ever supposed to be the man. He's always struck out batters at basically a league average pace or worse, and issues walks more than the average MLB pitcher. That's not good. People need to rememeber that Oakland is a flyball-pitcher's dream -- the foul territory is STUPID-BIG, which makes pitchers stats look way better than they actually are. Next time your watching a game, provided your not watching a game in Oakland, pay attention to how many balls get popped-up and go just foul, or ten to fifteen rows foul. All of those are outs in Oakland and it inflates a pitchers #s. Barry Zito has, more or less, always been an average pitcher. What he has been that's puts him above the average pitcher is durable, but that's not worth his contract.

I agree with Jack Goff, sort of, in that Zito's deal is the worst. Pavano's and Clement's contracts suck because of their injuries, which most likely couldn't have been predicted, whereas the Giants should have known that Barry was, and continues to be, a mediocre, durable pitchers. But Brian Sabean is an idiot. How he continues to have a job, I'll never know. Rememeber, he's responsible for allowing Barry Bonds to run roughshod over the organization, the trade that sent Bonser, Liriano and Nathan to Minnesota for AJ **** Pierzynski, and now this Zito debacle. Ownership should throw him, and everyone that works for him, on the street and start fresh.