5 worst contracts in Boston Red Sox history
By David Hill
4. Edgar Renteria
You know that a contract was a disaster when a player comes to be called Rent A Wreck. Such was the case with Edgar Renteria during his time with the Boston Red Sox.
The Red Sox thought they had their long term answer at the position when Orlando Cabrera left in free agency. Renteria had been an All Star in 2003 and 2004, a two time Gold Glove winner with a solid all around game. As he was just 28 for the first year of that four year, $40 million deal, it seemed as though the Red Sox had even gotten a bargain.
It turned out that Rentaria just could not handle the pressure in Boston. He lasted only one season with the Red Sox before being shipped, along with a considerable amount of cash, to Atlanta for Andy Marte. Renteria produced a disappointing .276/.335/.385 batting line in his 692 plate appearances, hitting eight homers and 36 doubles. While that was not terrible, his 30 errors, costing the Red Sox 30 runs at short, were.
He just needed a change of scenery to return to form. Renteria was an All Star again in 2006, his production back to expectations. He had another strong season in 2007 before his bat began to fade, although he had enough left in the tank to win the World Series MVP in 2010.
The Boston Red Sox thought they had their long term answer at short in Edgar Renteria. That long term answer lasted for just one year.