Theo's Free Agent Booms and Busts

[a700hitter]

Theo has had an astonishing record of failures in the Free Agent Market. He has several colossal failures, some under performers and few if any successes. Let's name them here and debate them.

 

I'll start off with a big bust:

 

Edgar Renteria

 

They had to eat about $24 million of his contract to get rid of him. That is a big time fail.

[Flynnatic10]

John Lackey.

Julio Lugo.

 

Busts.

[Palodios]

Someone has to say it.

 

 

J.D. Drew.

[a700hitter]

Someone has to say it.

 

 

J.D. Drew.

If he plays 100 games this season, which is a long shot, he'll have averaged 125 games/yr over the course of his Red Sox contract. What a horse!!!

[CanadianSox]

Matt Clement

[redsoxrules]

Julio Lugo

John Lackey

Matt Clement

Dice K

[AtWork]

Good

David Ortiz

Bill Mueller

JD Drew

Adrian Beltre

Mike Timlin

Gabe Kapler

Kevin Millar (does that count as a free agent or is that considered a trade for cash considerations?)

 

Bad

Julio Lugo

Matt Clement

Daisuke Matsuzaka

Brad Penny

Ramiro Mendoza

Rudy Seanez

[a700hitter]

Bust-- John Smoltz

[a700hitter]

Still waiting for some success stories. One success story would be Adrian Beltre, but that was just a 1 year deal.

[AtWork]

If you look at his track record, he's one of the best in baseball at singing low risk, high reward players and finding bargains but when it comes signing big name free agents he's done a terrible job. That's what makes me laugh when people say Epstein wouldn't be a good GM if he was working for a small market team.

[Station 13]

Jenks - Bust

 

Okajima - Great pick up. Served as set up man for 3 year.

[Palodios]

Bust-- John Smoltz

 

I have a hard time considering buy-low opportunities a bust. For every Smoltz/ Andrew Miller, there is a Saltalmacchia, and Albers.

[AtWork]

Jenks - Bust

 

Okajima - Great pick up. Served as set up man for 3 year.

 

Good one, I was just going to mention him. Didn't he also sign Arroyo for the league minimum prior to 2003?

[SoxFanForsyth]

Dennys Reyes. Hahahahahaha.

 

I know, I know, low risk RP, but dude was horrid.

[a700hitter]

I have a hard time considering buy-low opportunities a bust. For every Smoltz/ Andrew Miller' date=' there is a Saltalmacchia, and Albers.[/quote']Smoltz cost $5 million-- not exactly low cost.

[Palodios]

I can't believe no one mentioned Mike Cameron. His cost-to-value ratio is the absolute worst. 18 million to hit .180. That's worse than Lugo.

[SoxFanForsyth]

Jose Offerman

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2975386

[AtWork]

I can't believe no one mentioned Mike Cameron. His cost-to-value ratio is the absolute worst. 18 million to hit .180. That's worse than Lugo.

 

I don't think Epstein could have anticipated his injury. He was a highly productive player year in and year out before he got hurt.

[AtWork]

Jose Offerman

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2975386

 

4 years before Epstein.

[a700hitter]

Jose Offerman

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2975386

Offerman was Duquette's signing.

[SoxFanForsyth]

4 years before Epstein.

 

Oh yeah. This is a Theo signing. Damn. I thought I had a good one. <_>

[a700hitter]

I guess Scutaro would go in the success category. He did what was expected of him when he signed.

[a700hitter]

Offerman was Duquette's signing.

Duke had some busts, most notably Steve Avery, but he did sign Manny and Damon.

[AtWork]

Mark Bellhorn worked out pretty well.

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

Carl Crawford

 

Wait wait wait...you mean he signed a 7 year contract and hasn't even played a full season with the Red Sox? Oh ok never mind then.

[SoxFanForsyth]

Mark Bellhorn worked out pretty well.

 

I wouldn't call it a great pick up, but I liked Mark Loretta for his 1 year stint.

[a700hitter]

I wouldn't call it a great pick up' date=' but I liked Mark Loretta for his 1 year stint.[/quote']Loretta was a nice player, but still not reading any big successes.

[SoxFanForsyth]

Loretta was a nice player' date=' but still not reading any big successes.[/quote']

 

Beltre last year was a brilliant pick up, especially with the luxury tax maneuvering he did to avoid excess payments by giving him an option that counted toward the CBT calculation.

 

And you can't deny the Ortiz signing. That was huge.

[a700hitter]

Beltre last year was a brilliant pick up, especially with the luxury tax maneuvering he did to avoid excess payments by giving him an option that counted toward the CBT calculation.

 

And you can't deny the Ortiz signing. That was huge.

I stated Beltre earlier.

 

I don't count Ortiz as a FA signing. He got released by the Twins and was picked up for the waiver price of $50 k. If it wasn't clear before, when i made the thread I was talking about big money FA signings, not situations where players are just cut loose.

[AtWork]

Beltre last year was a brilliant pick up, especially with the luxury tax maneuvering he did to avoid excess payments by giving him an option that counted toward the CBT calculation.

 

And you can't deny the Ortiz signing. That was huge.

 

I'm surprised it took this long for someone else to mention that. Also surprised no one else has mentioned Bill Mueller.