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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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In spite of all his bluster and rock’n’roll lifestyle, Scott Spiezio turned out just like former Seattle shortstop and utility man Luis Sardinas, a light-hitting bench player. Sardinas is at least a nice guy. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Scott Spiezio

2016 equivalent: Luis Sardinas

As we get closer to number one on this list, the comparisons with players on the 2016 Mariners grow more outlandish. There really is no comparison to Scott Spiezio, who was not only one of the biggest busts in Mariners free agent signing history, but also took shots at the team after the fans, including a seventeen-year-old me, ran him out of town.

Spiezio’s numbers in a Mariners’ uniform were awful. In 141 games across two injury-plagued seasons, he slashed .198/.272/.324 with 11 home runs. The contract he signed wasn’t too heinous at the time, three years for just over $9 million, but his attitude and distractions off the field didn’t help his reputation for general putridness. Spiezio struggled with drugs and alcohol for much of his career, coming to a head when an arrest warrant was issued in Irvine concerning a car crash before the 2008 season, when he played for St. Louis.

Spiezio’s drug and alcohol problems were troublesome for young people looking for role models in MLB and certainly not entirely excusable. But Spiezio’s comments about playing two miserable years in Seattle were what launched him into this dubious pantheon of Mariners busts:

"“The last two years in Seattle, it wasn’t that fun. It wasn’t a fun atmosphere. Everybody on the team was down. I didn’t get to play much. With the Angels, I had a lot of fun. It’s great to come back to a team that’s just incredible as far as the makeup of this team and the desire and the drive. It’s so refreshing.” –Scott Spiezio"

Spiezio was too busy spending his contract money on booze and crack to be effective on the field, contributing to the lack of playing time and the all-around terribleness of the 2004 Mariners.

Speez also played in a metal band, Sandfrog, during his MLB days. Maybe he still gets the guys together for a jam.

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