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The Ten Worst Mariners Free Agent Signings Ever

By Ben Renner

Aug 22, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners general manger Jerry Dipoto laughs with one of his players during batting practice before a game against the New York Yankees at Safeco Field. Seattle defeated New York, 7-5. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 22, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Mariners general manger Jerry Dipoto laughs with one of his players during batting practice before a game against the New York Yankees at Safeco Field. Seattle defeated New York, 7-5. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /
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There wasn’t an easy comparison to Miguel Batista on the 2016 Mariners, fortunately. Batista came to the M’s as a mediocre, 36-year-old starter and was eventually shifted to the bullpen. I found Wade Miley, even though he’s only 29, the best comparison to Batista, although he only lasted not quite a full season with Seattle. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports /

9. Miguel Batista

2016 equivalent: Wade Miley

Miguel Batista signed a three-year, $25 million contract with the Mariners before the 2007 season to be a solid, middle-of-the-rotation starter. It should have come as no surprise, then, that he performed like a middle-of-the-rotation starter. Batista actually led Seattle in wins with 16 in 2007 on the strength of a slightly better-than-average 4.29 ERA.

Then, the next season (similar to the rest of the 2008 team) the bottom fell out. Batista went 4-14 with a terrible 6.26 ERA. He moved from the starting rotation, moved to the bullpen, and appeared in 56 games in relief in 2009, posting a 4.04 ERA in only 71.1 innings.

Batista is also known for his love of poetry. He wrote a book of poetry called Sentimientos en Blanco y Negro (Feelings in Black and White) and a thriller called The Avenger of Blood. He was last seen in baseball as a member of the Buffalo Bisons, a AAA affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, in 2013.

Adding a few mediocre pitchers to the roster isn’t a sin in Major League Baseball, (see Wade Miley above), but paying dearly for them is. Bill Bavasi, the boogeyman of Mariners lore, gave Batista $25 million over three years after he had posted a pedestrian 4.46 ERA and a 68-79 record in his first fourteen seasons in the league. Batista was 35 years old when he signed his contract with the Mariners. I understand that at the time, the M’s were desperate for pitching, but did Bavasi and his goon squad really think he was going to improve on his mediocre numbers in a Seattle uniform?

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