5 worst contracts in New York Yankees history

Mar 24, 2018; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury (22) works out prior to the game at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 24, 2018; Tampa, FL, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury (22) works out prior to the game at George M. Steinbrenner Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
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(Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)
(Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

1. Kei Igawa

Making moves just to match another team tends to lead to disaster. Such was the case when the New York Yankees signed Kei Igawa in response to the Red Sox landing Daisuke Matsuzaka.

While Matsuzaka never lived up to the hype, Igawa was an unmitigated disaster. He signed a five year deal worth $20 million, with another $26 million as a posting fee. In exchange, he made a total of 16 appearances in pinstripes, posting a 6.66 ERA and a 1.758 WHiP in his 71.2 innings.

He pitched perfectly well in the minors, with a 3.83 ERA and a 1.304 WHiP in his 533 innings, striking out 419 batters with 163 walks. The problem was that Igawa was not being paid to be a solid minor league arm, even though he spent his last three seasons in the organization in Double-A and Triple-A.

To make matters worse, Igawa refused to go away. The Yankees twice attempted to sell his contract back to a team in Japan, but he refused to head back. His banishment to the minors did nothing to change his mind as he spent the full five years of that deal stateside.

The New York Yankees thought they had the answer to Daisuke Matsuzaka in Kei Igawa. Instead, they received a solid minor league arm.