Worst free agent pitcher ever?

Pete Harnisch had an unbelievably shitty contract when the Astros finally released him. I think it cost them $5 million just to get rid of him.

 

Len Barker

End of argument.

 

If you're Pete Harnisch, that's not a shitty contract.

Barker to the Braves was a trade, not free agency.

Worst Braves trade ever, too.

 

Ryan Franklin to Philadelphia.

 

You think, when he pulls the car up to talk to a prostitute, he does the train whistle to get their attention?

Not in the same class as some of these debacles, but the $24 million over three years (the deal is in year two) the Phillies are paying Adam Eaton to stink it up as a No. 5 starter is pretty bad.

 

I included just these two players because of how long and how expensive the contracts were. Neither team has gotten much on returns from either -- even though Zito is in just his second year of the deal. If Dreifort's deal was $100 million, then he'd be in the convo.

 

Ever think of crediting Jayson Stark for the idea, since he had this exact debate on ESPN.com yesterday?

 

Shhhhh.

 

Gagne was traded to the Red Sox for a shitpot of young talent. That could end up being on the order of the Mark Langston-Randy Johnson deal in 1989. But not a FA.

Now, the Brewers signing him, that could be up for consideration.

Gagne was actually pretty good while closing in Texas. The starters last year, though, could barely even get the game to the fifth inning.

 

SportsJournalists.com's Michael Echan has reported ...

 

Back in the early years of free agency the Indians signed a lefty named Wayne Barker away from Baltimore for what was, at the time, a shitload of money after he went 20-7 in 1976.

The guy won 13 games (and lost 19) his first year in Cleveland then won a total of 15 games the next four years.

He's considered one of the, if not the, biggest busts of the early free agent era.

EDIT: Wayne Garland, not Wayne Barker. Fuck, I'm an idiot.