Worst free agent pitcher ever?

He never signed a long-term deal like the ones Hampton and Zito got.

Dreifort and Pavano deserve a mention as well. The poll list is too short, but my vote goes to Zito. Hampton, Dreifort and Pavano had shown that they were injury risks before their big paydays, but at least there was good reason to believe they would succeed if they stayed healty. Pavano won 18 games with a 3.00 ERA the year before he signed with the Yankees.

Somebody mentioned Schmidt, but his deal wasn't nearly as long as Zito's.

Zito isn't hurt (that we know of). He just sucks. He has been in steady decline for a while and the contract made no sense at all from the day he signed it. Hiis ERA the season before signing with the Giants wasn't awful for the American League, 3.83, but his WHIP was a career-high 1.40 and his strikeouts dipped to 151. It was never a sound gamble.

It's not just that he is getting hit hard. His velocity is down into the low 80s. I don't know why anybody would expect a big rebound this year. This decline has been going on for a while now.

 

Second that. Pavano is the equivalent of lighting $40 million on fire. Five wins in three-plus years.

I'll throw Wayne Garland's name out there. $2.3 million over 10 years (huge money in 1977), and he won 28 games for the Tribe before retiring midway through the deal.

 

Thanks. I screwed up his name.

 

No problem. At least Garland's struggles taught GMs the foolishness of signing pitchers to long-term contracts.

 

At least Dreifort could hit for power.

 

Mike Hampton is 53-48 since he signed that deal, so he's certainly far from gawdawful.

 

"The good people of Houston nominate the man with a 10-cent arm and million-dollar wife, Jose Lima!"

 

Not sure he really qualifies for this list, but any excuse to post that picture is a good one.

 

Wayne Garland was also right-handed. And apparently didn't use a baseball when he wound up.

 

The Law of Gravity's evidently been repealed.

 

Mike Hampton hasn't thrown a pitch in a Major League game in more than two years, meanwhile collecting in the neighborhood of $25 million.

It's not his fault he gets paid, but he should have some self respect and not show his face in public. There should be a wanted poster with his picture on it.