126 million dollar mistake?

[KoryMac5]

Zito's contract has to be one of the worst in baseball ever, before Milton, Pavano and Hampton.

For Zito and the Giants, the worrisome numbers were not the ones on the scoreboard. They were the ones on the radar gun.

The Giants signed him 13 months ago, and his fastball still hasn't shown up. He topped out at 84 mph on Monday.

Maybe his velocity comes back, maybe not. He cannot be sure. No one can. He spoke gently, with more hope than confidence in his voice.

"I want to get that 88, 89, 90 back," he said. "I'm sure it's just a small tweak away."

Zito at 84 is not Jason Schmidt at 84, a power pitcher stripped of his primary weapon. Zito never operated at 95. He lives on off-speed stuff. However, if his fastball is not much faster than his curve or change, a batter can guess off-speed pitch and still adjust to a fastball. Hit it, or foul it off and drive up the pitch count.

Zito struck out one, looking. Of his first 60 pitches, the Dodgers swung and missed at one. In five innings, he threw 87 pitches.

I just have to believe that something must be wrong with his shoulder or his delivery. Zito was never a power pitcher but he could at least hit 90. His contract brings up an interesting question, is this the worst contract in baseball history?

[redsmetz]

Zito's contract has to be one of the worst in baseball ever, before Milton, Pavano and Hampton.

I just have to believe that something must be wrong with his shoulder or his delivery. Zito was never a power pitcher but he could at least hit 90. His contract brings up an interesting question, is this the worst contract in baseball history?

Boy, that's a tough call. Kevin Brown's was pretty awful.

[RedsManRick]

How nice does this make you feel about Harang and Arroyo?

[WMR]

Chan Ho Park's, adjusted for inflation, is still up there, I'd imagine?

[MWM]

Albert Belle
Kevin Brown
Darren Dreifort

Some other bad ones.

[redsfan30]

I remember there being talk last year when he showed up to Giants camp that he was tweaking with his motion/delivery and the resulting talk was just how assanine that really is. Messing with a delivery that just got you 7 years and $126 million?

Come on.

[westofyou]

Wayne Garland, Mark Davis, Mike Hampton... this one is worse.

[PuffyPig]

Boy, that's a tough call. Kevin Brown's was pretty awful.

The Dodgers got some pretty good years out of brown..

The Giants might get nothing out of Zito.

The really bad thing is, Zito looked pretty bad going into last year. He loked like on the verge of some reaaly bad seasons to come. Why anyone paid him that kind of money is insane.

[fearofpopvol1]

I really root for Zito. I met him a few years ago and he was the nicest, most humble guy ever. You just hate to see something like that happen to a good guy.

[redsmetz]

The Dodgers got some pretty good years out of brown..

The Giants might get nothing out of Zito.

The really bad thing is, Zito looked pretty bad going into last year. He loked like on the verge of some reaaly bad seasons to come. Why anyone paid him that kind of money is insane.

I'm not sure at $105 Million ten years ago overrides they didn't get as much as they had hoped for; but I'll grant it's arguable.

[RedsManRick]

I really root for Zito. I met him a few years ago and he was the nicest, most humble guy ever. You just hate to see something like that happen to a good guy.

He does still get to collect his checks you realize. I could think of worse things to have happen.

[BCubb2003]

Carl Pavano?

I wonder what the worst contract was from a player's point of view?

[fearofpopvol1]

He does still get to collect his checks you realize. I could think of worse things to have happen.

I totally understand that. I just root for him to perform well. While a huge contract like his certainly softens that blow, I don't think he wants to suck or anything.

[redsmetz]

Carl Pavano?

I wonder what the worst contract was from a player's point of view?

I'm guessing any contract which had the Reserve Clause in it. I can't find the names, but I know there was some player or other (and probably more) who had a terrific year and was offered a pay cut the following year.

[westofyou]

I wonder what the worst contract was from a player's point of view?

Ones signed in 1891, after the failed Players League, many a player had to eat crow along with losing a sizable investment from the failed league. Plus the whole thing killed the AA too and shrunk the pool of "MLB" to a less stellar number in the matter of 2 years.