New York Yankees: Top Five Worst Contracts
New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman has assembled one of the worst baseball teams in the Major Leagues. These are the five contracts that are to blame for their abysmal start.
2106 hasn’t been pleasant for the New York Yankees. They’ve gotten off to their worst start since 1991 with an 8-16 win/loss record.
GM Brian Cashman isn’t thrilled about things and he shouldn’t be: “I’ve done this job a long time and I put this roster together,” Cashman said. “I feel it’s significantly better than it has performed, and when it doesn’t perform up to expectations over the course of time, I have a history of making changes.”
With almost 20% of the season in the books, the Yankees rank dead last in runs scored, and 25th out of 30 in team ERA. If you can’t hit, and you can’t pitch, what do you have?
In the Yankees case, they’re left with old, overpaid, and underperforming players scattered throughout the entire roster. The fact that a slideshow is even possible on the five worst contracts for a single team speaks volumes about the position that Cashman and ownership have put the Yankees in.
Here’s a list of five contracts given out by Brian Cashman that have led to the downfall of the 2016 New York Yankees.
Next: A-Rod
5. Alex Rodriguez
The 10 year/275 million dollar contract signed by Alex Rodriguez in 2008 was bad. There are no other words to describe this deal other than bad. Although, Rodriguez has been one of the more productive players on the 2016 team, that really isn’t saying much for an offense that ranks dead last in runs scored.
Alex has averaged just 24 home runs, and 116 games played in each year since signing this deal. His body has failed him, and that’s to be expected when someone like A-Rod has been playing in the big leagues since eighteen years of age.
The biggest negative to come from this contract is the log-jam that has occurred at the DH position. The Yankees have one of the oldest, on average, group of positional players. These players could really use rest from the field every now and then but that can’t happen because that position is occupied by Rodriguez for another two seasons.
A-Rod comes in at number five on this list and no higher because he has been doing his job of hitting home runs, and driving in runs throughout this contract. Has he been playing up to his $21 million a year salary? Absolutely not.
Next: The Big Man
4. C.C. Sabathia
Some may argue that the 8 year/186 million dollar contract awarded to C.C. Sabathia in 2009 was money well spent – I will not.
Although C.C.’s first four seasons in pinstripes were everything you could have hoped for, his last four have been a nightmare.
He won 74 games for the Yanks in those first four seasons and brought a World Series title to the Bronx in 2009. After his 2012 season, he lost everything. Since then, C.C. is 23-29 with a 4.96 ERA. If Sabathia hasn’t been making almost 25 million dollars in each of those seasons, maybe he wouldn’t even be on this list. But that’s not the case.
The Yankees aren’t paying him to be a $25 million fifth starter. This contract has been a nightmare ever since 2012, and it looks like the Yankees will be stuck with him until after next season. He has a vesting option for 2017 barring any catastrophic injury to his left shoulder which seems to be perfectly fine, although his numbers suggest something else.
Next: Oh McCann Can
3. Brian McCann
While Brian McCann has been a productive Yankee during his first two seasons, he wasn’t needed.
The New York Yankees had the catching position set at the Major League level, and they had their young blossoming studs at the Minor League levels. The catching position was one of the strongest in the organization at the time, and what does Brian Cashman do? He gives thirty-year old Brian McCann a 5 year/85 million dollar contract in 2014.
At the time, Francisco Cervelli was an option behind the plate for the Yanks but Cervelli was a contact hitter. Contact hitters are not something Brian Cashman likes. Aside from Cervelli, the Yankees also had John Ryan Murphy and current Minor League sensation Gary Sanchez on deck to be the catchers of the future.
While Brian McCann has had a productive Yankee career, he is on the wrong side of thirty, and all he will be is another log-jam in the Yankees order for another three seasons.
Next: One Year Wonder
2. Chase Headley
Chase Headley hasn’t been able to get out of his own way ever since coming over from the San Diego Padres.
The argument can be made that Chase Headley has had one really good season in his entire career. That season was 2012 where he played well over his head and put up 31 home runs and 115 RBI. Is that the real Chase Headley? No. Chase Headley is a career .265 hitter who averages 15 home runs and 65 RBI a season.
“Chase Headley is this year’s version of Stephen Drew for the New York Yankees.”
Having known all of that, Brian Cashman slaps Headley with a 4 year/52 million dollar contract in 2015. Another 30+ year old player locked in to the Yankees long term. Not to mention the chronic back issues that Chase Headley has dealt with for the last half of his career, he isn’t a good baseball player.
Some may argue that Chase Headley should be number one on this list as he has taken over the role as the new “Stephen Drew” for 2016 New York Yankees. Headley is last in the league in batting average, home runs, rbi’s and extra base hits. Many starting pitchers have better batting statistics than Headley does.
To add insult to injury, Chase Headley committed twenty-three errors in 2015.
Next: Mr. $153
1. Jacoby Ellsbury
Jacoby Ellsbury is one of the most unfortunate things to happen to the New York Yankees. This is another “wrong side of thirty” sign for Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner.
After being outbid by the Seattle Mariners for Robinson Cano, they Yankees took their funds elsewhere and backed up the truck to Jacoby Ellsbury’s front yard. (Yankee fans look away) The New York Yankees gave Jacoby Ellsbury a 7 year/153 million dollar deal in 2014 at the age of 30.
The days of Jacoby Ellsbury stealing 50+ bases and hitting over 30 home runs are so far gone, and will never be back. Disappointing is an understatement when describing Ellsbury’s first few years with the Yankees. While Jacoby played close to the back of his baseball card in 2014, he hit well below his batting average and didn’t get on base a whole lot. That’s not ideal for your leadoff hitter.
2015 was a train wreck for the center fielder. He missed over one month of the season with an apparent knee injury after a routine swing of the bat. Ellsbury could never get his groove back hitting just .257 with 7 home runs and 33 RBI.
Next: Ten worst players in baseball
This season has been just as bad for Jacoby, and this deal is starting to look more and more like the worst the Yankees have ever given out. It will be near impossible to move Ellsbury to another team given the amount that is still owed to him, so we could be looking at four more years of Ellsbury with a five million dollar buyout in 2021.