Dannymac did a great job in pointing out the pluses that Werth brings to a team like the Nats. I especially enjoyed the mid 2000's Mets comparison. When the Mets signed Pedro in 2005 it totally changed the culture of that franchise. It truly help young stars like Reyes and Wright know what it takes to win. It didn't matter that by the last year of the contract Pedro was in the Sterling Hitchcock Hall of Fame, designated for pitchers who's fastball and changeup are less than three mph apart. Pedro set the tone for two to three years of being a legit World Series contender-to the point that the Mets were a Billy Wagner meltdown in Game 2 of the 06' NLCS from running away with the pennant. I think that having Werth on your team certainly does send a message to everyone associated with your organization that you are getting serious as a player in the grand scheme of baseball. Werth certainly has been a good influence on the young Nats clubhouse, and given them an identity that frankly they've never had. There is much to be said about that and I agree with Dannymac in that sense.
There are a few things I think have to be kept in mind when putting Werth's contract in perspective. All the awful contracts mentioned at the end of Dannymacs article certainly were awful contracts that each could have their very own buzzer story written about their failure. The key is going back to the circumstances when they were signed for the context of the signings.
Carl Pavano
Ever want to hear a funny tirade??? Ask my father his thoughts on Carl Pavano, or mine for that matter. Carl signed a lucrative four year deal with the Yankees worth over $55 million. Carl "crash" Pavano would manage to pitch in exactly half of one season in the for year deal, and complain about what the fans were saying about him in the process (you're right Carl, what were we the fans thinking in wanting our second highest paid pitcher to pitch at least once in three seasons). To say that I hate Carl Pavano is almost hilariously understating my thoughts on him.
At the time the Yankees signed him I was fully on board. At the time he signed the deal he was coming off a spectacular season with the Marlins. He was in his 20's. We had watched him toy with the Yankees in the 2003 World Series, so we knew he could handle the bright lights (or so everyone thought). The point was, he was considered (after 2004) one of baseball's best pitchers. This is the Yankees, we had just blown the 04 pennant because of no pitching, and there is an endless amount of revenue. Did it work out that Pavano was useless-yes and then some. It was an awful deal that happen to fail, and not many saw coming (The Red Sox and Dodgers both made strong attempts to land Carl).
The same can be said for Dic-K (Yankee fans were salivating over him). Andruw Jones was an established All Star and had played well for almost a decade before signing with the Dodgers. Even Barry Zito was a former Cy Young winner, and proven playoff pitcher. Only Kei " the $30 million Chinese fry cook (as one caller to Mike and the Mad Dog called him before being cut off)" had a deal that even as it was signed people said "wait...WHAT?!??!?!?!"
Even Igawa's deal was only a three or four year deal (I've blocked it from my memory I think). That's why if Werth doesn't drastically improve I think it's the top bad signing ever. Nobody, and I mean nobody thought Werth was worth seven years and over $100 million. He was a very good hitter off lefty pitching in a loaded Phillies lineup, and everybody knew that. We all knew his age, and that he would no longer be playing 81 games a year in the band box of Citizens Bank Ballpark. I don't care what he's brought to the clubhouse. By the end of his deal it will cripple a franchise that only draws 20000 fans a game. It's not as bad as when the Yankees make a mistake and can mask over it by signing a new guy at his position for more money. Werth has played like one of the worse centerfielders in the game, and frankly I'm not that surprised. Given his age, history, ball park, length of contract and haircut I am standing behind the fact that Werth's deal WILL be the worse deal in baseball's history. That is until the Yankees sign Drew Stubbs to a 7 year $154 million deal in 2014. I'm out
Jul 21, 2011
Jul 20, 2011
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