A List: Dave Dombrowski And His Bad Contracts

Of course it’d be nice if Dave Dombrowski was a little more fiscally responsible with the money he’s given to play with, but with no salary cap it doesn’t appear that some of DD’s “bad contracts” have hindered his ability to sign what the Tigers need. For example, many felt giving Jose Valverde $14 million over two years was a bad idea because the Tigers had more important holes to fill with that money. Then the Tigers signed Johnny Damon for $8 million.

And sure, a handful of the contracts DD’s dished out over the years have earned him the moniker Dumbrowski, but avoiding some of the bank crippling contracts also would have required some above average foresight. Having said that, I’m less concerned with the fails that make up less than 1% of the payroll (Adam Everett) than I am with guys like Jeremy Bonderman who were given big deals and haven’t lived up to them ($2 million for every win he’s had in the past four years). Surprisingly, Bondo didn’t make the list and Everett did. What’s your list of the worst contracts in recent Tigers history?