We've already looked at the largest contracts by service time, so now let's break it down by position…
Catcher
Joe Mauer: Eight years, $184MM
First Base
Mark Teixeira: Eight years, $180MM
Second Base
Chase Utley: Seven years, $85MM
Shortstop
Alex Rodriguez: Ten years, $252MM
Third Base
Alex Rodriguez: Ten years, $275MM
Outfield
Alfonso Soriano: Eight years, $136MM
Vernon Wells: Seven years, $126MM
Matt Holliday: Seven years, $120MM
Starting Pitcher
CC Sabathia: Seven years, $161MM
Johan Santana: Six years, $137.5MM
Barry Zito: Seven years, $126MM
Mike Hampton: Eight years, $121MM
Kevin Brown: Seven years, $105MM
Relief Pitcher
Joe Nathan: Four years, $47MM
Mariano Rivera: Three years, $45MM
Some thoughts…
- If you want to count DH as a position, which I guess it technically is, then Travis Hafner's four year, $57MM deal would top the list.
- Joe Mauer's contract is more than three and a half times larger than Jorge Posada's four year, $52.4MM deal, the second largest among active catchers. Mike Piazza's seven year, $91MM deal is the second largest for a catcher all-time.
- A-Rod only spent three years of his $252MM at the shortstop position before sliding over to third. The next largest contract ever given to a shortstop belongs to his teammate, Derek Jeter, who signed a ten year, $189MM deal in 2001.
- The Twins are the only team besides the Yankees to employ two of the largest contracts at their respective positions.
- The Soriano, Wells, Zito, and Hampton deals are all ones ownership wish they could take back. Brown spent a lot of time on the disabled list, but he did post a 3.23 ERA in close to 1,100 innings during the life of his deal.
- The Utley and Rivera deals are ones the teams would happily do again, but the jury is still out on the rest.
Thanks to Cot's Baseball Contracts for the info.
Utley is insanely underpaid compared to what some of these guys are making.
“The Utley and Rivera deals are ones the teams would happily do again, but the jury is still out on the rest.”
Funny that those are also the two lowest-value contracts in the bunch.
To be fair, the Rivera contract had the potential to be an absolute disaster. I remember seeing them sign that deal and thinking “Really? He’s almost forty, he’s not signing anywhere else and they’re giving him that much on a multi-year?”
This was not accounting for the fact Rivera is a freak of nature. By all logical accounts, his arm should’ve fallen off like five year ago.
“By all logical accounts, his arm should’ve fallen off like five year ago.”
Not just that, but the league should have caught on to his one pitch back in 1999 or so. The guy is not human.
You know, I have always wondered that. How does a guy stay the most dominant closer in baseball for like 2 decades with just a cutter??
he has a really really really good cutter.
I think you need to add about 3 more really’s to that statement.
Yeah. When you always know what’s coming, and still look like a little-leaguer trying to hit it, something inhuman is going on.
I think you need to add about 3 more really’s to that statement.
I agree, by all logical accounts – but I think when he is still so dominant at this age, we can’t use logic 🙂
Assuming this is overall contract rather than per-year (its seems to be) Piazza’s 1999 deal (7years/$91mil) was bigger than Posada’s, and about equal per-year
Good catch, I forgot about the Pizza-man. I’ll fix the post.
I wouldn’t say the jury is still out on Brown, Hampton and Zito’s deals- they are/were disasters.
Yeah, I was going to say… is “LOLOLOL” an appropriate response to that section of the article?
not to mention alfonzo soriano’s horrific contract, but i guess maybe a lot of teams would of gave him that kind of money after he came off that year with the national’s
what about manny ramirez’ 8 year $161 mil contract he signed in boston?
Hey, you forgot about the BJ Ryan contract. I can’t find it on Cot’s, but wasn’t Ryan signed to a 5 year 47 million dollar contract?
lol mike, i didn’t know that “johan santa” got 137million.
your link shows some c minor leage guy out of the texas ranger’s farm system. but i think we know who you meant.
I think we can say for sure that the Yank’s are very happy with the CC, Tex, and Arod deals. Without them they don’t get #27.
How is Jeter’s contract not already a successful one? Would 2010 really change anything about how well it played out?
i personnely think he is barely worth it. he has averaged about a 4 WAR each season. not bad. not bad at all. but 1WAR= about 4mil. so he should only be getting 16mil. so he is technically overpaid, as are many yankee players.
Even if you want to ignore every single intangible of captain of team, face of the franchise, winning resume, consistently healthy every season (except 2003) and playoff resume, and even if you want to play the Yankees overpay their players card….
You still fail to account for New York state’s higher taxes than everywhere in the entire country. The Yankees (and Mets) have to overpay by default to begin with just to justify the take home money for athletes because their taxes are much, much higher within the state.
So Jeter is STILL not overpaid.
i don’t believe in intangibles. but thats just me.
He also had that wrist injury in ’08, his “down” year where he posted a .300 avg.
He also had that wrist injury in ’08, his “down” year where he posted a .300 avg.
Hence why there was that whole Jeter residence in Tampa, taking advantage of Florida’s non existent state income tax scandal where he had to prove his residence.
Many New York athletes claim residence out of the state of New York to avoid paying state tax and nobody, when arguing salaries on the Yankees (or Mets) EVER takes that into account. It also applies with Lebron leaving Cleveland for the Knicks…New York would have to SEVERELY overpay him comparatively.
Manny Ramirez’s Contract with Redsox is Eight Years / 160 Million. I don’t how you can miss that in the list.
You guys missed Manny Ramirez contract of 8 yrs /160 million with boston redsox.
Who would’ve thought the Twins would have the 2nd most players on this list, I mean everyone expects the Yanks to top it and they do, but to see the twins have 2 players on here was surprising to me.
Who would’ve thought the Twins would have the 2nd most players on this list, I mean everyone expects the Yanks to top it and they do, but to see the twins have 2 players on here was surprising to me.