It is December and the holidays are
upon us! As Yankee fans well know, and fans of other teams know to a lesser extent, this month can mean expensive
gifts in the form of lavish free agent signings. Over the years there have been
dozens of these deals, which have filled fans with the joy of the season and
the promise of prosperity in the New Year.
Here, with a nod to the song “The 12 Days Of Christmas,” are twelve of
the biggest Christmas free agent signings in Major League Baseball history:
December 8, 2011- On the first day
of Christmas my true love gave to me: Albert
Pujols, 10 years, $240 million with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. To
Cardinals fans, Pujols was the Grinch who stole Christmas, while in LA, he was
the lead Angel in the Christmas pageant.
December 9, 1992: On the second day
of Christmas my true love gave to me: Greg
Maddux, 5 years, $28 million with the Atlanta Braves. The Yankees, who had come off back-to-back
losing seasons, offered Maddux more money, but he signed with the Braves
instead because he wanted to play for a winner.
December 11, 2010: On the third day
of Christmas my true love gave to me: Carl
Crawford, 7 years, $142 million with the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox either
forgot to get a warranty or they lost the receipt for this purchase. They ended
up re-gifting him to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
December 12, 1998: On the fourth
day of Christmas my true love gave to me: Kevin
Brown, 7 years, $105 million with the Los Angeles Dodgers. This deal made
Brown the first $100 million player in MLB. The Yankees later took on the
remaining years of the deal, years which made it seem as if they received
damaged goods.
December 12, 2000: On the fifth day
of Christmas my true love gave to me: Mike
Hampton, 8 years, $121 million with the Colorado Rockies. At the time, this
was the richest contract in history for a pitcher. Hampton claimed the money had nothing to do
with it. He signed, he said, because he loved the schools in Colorado .
December 13, 2007: On the sixth day
of Christmas my true love gave to me: Alex
Rodriguez, 10 years, $275 million with the New York Yankees. Currently the
most lucrative contract in baseball, it is, for obvious reasons, also the
worst.
December 15, 1980: On the seventh
day of Christmas my true love gave to me: Dave
Winfield, 10 years, $15 million, with the New York Yankees. This contract
made Winfield the highest paid player in baseball. Unbelievable, considering
the fact that many players now make more than that in less than a full season.
December 15, 2010: On the eighth
day of Christmas my true love gave to me: Cliff
Lee, 5 years, $120 million, with the Philadelphia Phillies. Lee could have
signed with the Yankees for more money but, supposedly, a few disgusting Yankee
fans who spat on his wife took that possibility away.
December 15, 2012: On the ninth day
of Christmas my true love gave to me: Josh
Hamilton, 5 years, $125 million, with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The
Angels saw the huge number of presents under the tree of their neighbors, the
Los Angeles Dodgers, and did not want to be out-done.
December 20, 2006: On the tenth day
of Christmas my true love gave to me: Barry
Zito, 7 years, $126 million. This deal was, at the time, the largest
pitching contract in history. Zito proceeded to pitch like it was the smallest.
December 20, 2008: On the eleventh
day of Christmas my true love gave to me: CC
Sabathia, 7 years, $161 million. Now he
was the highest paid pitcher in MLB history. Though he hasn’t always pitched
like it, he has been very good.
December 31, 1974: On the twelfth
day of Christmas my true love gave to me: Catfish
Hunter, 5 years, $3.75 million. This was the contract that started it all.
Hunter became the first big free agent signing in baseball and the highest paid
player in the game. We’ve come a long way, baby.
There have been many more December
free agent signings, but these are the ones that stand out for me. Wishing you
and your team a holiday season that is lucrative and a 2013 filled with parity.
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