Best Free-Agent Contracts in the last 30 years

Slimdust

Barry Bonds, Giants | Five years, $90 million- The Giants paid dearly with this deal before the '02 season. What they got, though, coming off Bonds' 73-homer '01 season, was a slugger who won three straight MVP awards, took the Giants to the '02 World Series and filled the stands at home and on the road. That's worth it even with one year ('05) lost to injury.

Carlos Peña, Devil Rays | One year, $800,000- The Rangers, Tigers, A's, Red Sox and Yankees all had given up on the strapping first baseman when he signed a minor league deal with the Rays in February of '07. All he did was lead AL first basemen in homers (46), RBIs (121), on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Fluke or not, the gamble paid off.


Cecil Fielder, Tigers | Two years, $3 million - After a disappointing start to his career in Toronto, Fielder wowed Japan with the Hanshin Tigers in 1989. In '90 the Tigers wooed him back (beating out the Red Sox) with this deal. In his first year he crushed 51 homers. In his second he ripped 44. He finished second in the MVP voting both years.

Vladimir Guerrero, Angels | Five years, $70 million-A lot of teams were after Vlad in the winter before the '04 season. The Angels were somewhat surprising winners, with a deal that paled to some signed a couple of years earlier. Guerrero, still the lone big bat in the Angels' lineup, produced an MVP in the first year, 131 homers in the first four years and three division titles.

Randy Johnson, Diamondbacks | Four years, $53.4 million- It's a lot of money in 1999, sure. But the Big Unit gave the D'backs four straight years of domination, with four Cy Young Awards, at least 34 starts a year, more than 350 strikeouts a year and, with the World Series win in '01, the first professional sports title in the state's history. (Johnson also earned a World Series co-MVP award.)

Terry Pendleton, Braves | Four years, $10.2 million -In 1990 Pendleton hit .230 in St. Louis, enabling the Braves to sneak in with the steal of the winter in this deal. In '91 the third baseman hit .319 with 22 homers and won the MVP award. The sad-sack Braves went from worst to first, starting a string of 14 straight division titles. Pendleton was MVP runner-up in '92.

Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners | Three years, $14 million- Even if you add the $13 million posting fee to this contract it was still a steal. Ichiro won the Rookie of the Year and the AL MVP in '01, had three straight 200-hit seasons, averaged more than 116 runs a year, stole 121 bases and hit .328 over the life of the deal. He also transformed a franchise.

Nolan Ryan, Astros | Four years, $4.5 million-This was a record contract in the winter of 1979, scandalously high. But Ryan made it pay off immediately, leading the Astros to the first postseason in their history. The Express had a 2.91 ERA from 1980 to '83, went 52-36 and finished in the top five in strikeouts each year. The Astros bought a load of credibility with this deal.

David Ortiz, Red Sox | One year, $1.25 million-When the Twins non-tendered Big Papi in December of 2002 the Sox snapped up the slugger, split his time between first base and DH and began to turn him into a sensation. Ortiz smacked 31 homers and 39 doubles in '03, won two games with walkoffs and hit .364 in extra innings -- a taste of things to come.

Roger Clemens, Blue Jays | Two years, $17 million-He had started to slide in Boston -- Dan Duquette was right -- but the Rocket reversed course in Canada, leading the AL in wins, ERA and strikeouts in both years of the deal ('97-98) and picking up two Cy Young Awards. The Jays couldn't win, but Clemens was 41-13 with a 2.33 ERA. Hard to ask for anything more.

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Blitzkrieg

Administrator

Pretty good list. You have to be careful with one-year wonders though. The Nats for example gave Dmitri Young a two-year extension based on this season when he hit far and above what he's done in his entire career. I'd bank on him coming back down to earth next season.

Necro

VIP Room Moderator

yah resigning someone off of one big year is pretty harsh. I'd try to sign the person to a decent deal, and add in incentives if the person does good. Of course thats a chance you take, because someone else might offer them the exact same money guaranteed...

Simon

Founder/Admin

Haha. I was just on the other list thinking.....I wonder if the best is posted...

Honorable Mentions to

Manny Ramirez - 8 years 120 million. I know its a ton of money but nobody played up to their contract expectations better than Manny every year.

Josh Beckett - 5 years 50 million. True story. Theo and Josh were joking around one day about a contract extension and Theo says "How much you want?" Josh "I dunno. 10 million will do" The next day he signed a 5 year 50 million deal. Steal of the century.


Also that Roger deal is wrong. It was 4 years and 28 million.

Necro

VIP Room Moderator

Yeh that Beckett one holy shit.

I remember a few years ago how the sox made such a bad decision, his blisters were in question. Fuck that paid off in a big game. One of the best pitchers in the game now. Holy shit that's greatness...