The Ten Worst Mariners Free Agent Signings Ever

Current Mariners General Manager Jerry Dipoto quickly became known for his wheeling and dealing, and the results have mostly been positive. That’s not easy considering the costly mistakes previous GMs have made signing free agents in Seattle. Let’s take a look at the worst examples.

The Mariners endured back-to-back stints of some of the worst General Managers in recent memory after former GM Pat Gillick was ousted in 2003 (and went on to win a World Series title with the Philadelphia Phillies, his third title). From then until last offseason, the Mariners were plagued with poor general managers. Remember that before Jack Zdurencik and his obsession with power numbers at any cost, possibly the worst GM in MLB history headed the team, Bill Bavasi.

You’ll see a few names linked to Bavasi in the following list of the worst free agent signings in Mariners’ history. I’ve ranked these players based on the money the team spent on them, the statistical level of their ineffectiveness, and their ignominious actions off the baseball diamond. All of them were terrible on the field. Many had very brief Mariners careers, others endured the ridicule of the fans for several seasons before they were mercifully let go.

Another factor weighing on my process for ranking these free agent signings is a “what were they thinking?” context. A few of the following players weren’t too terrible before they accepted millions of dollars to don a Mariners’ uniform, and because of injuries or sudden drop-offs in production, they turned into players with albatross contracts. But several players on this list were never good enough to earn lucrative free agent deals in the first place (looking at you, Bavasi). The amount of bad luck involved in signings that didn’t pan out is weighed in these rankings.

I’ve also compared this dubious list with players on the Mariners’ 2016 roster to put some of these bad signings into perspective, and remind you all that despite the constant disappointment of being a Mariners fan, things are looking up.

So click through the list and enjoy reliving some of the worst free agent signings the Mariners have ever made, and be thankful that Dipoto hasn’t committed big dollars to (that many) free agent flops just yet.