Dodgers Team News

Dodgers News: Brandon League, Josh Beckett Have Terrible Contracts

Los Angeles Dodgers GM Ned Colletti has a long track record of giving out bad contracts and making some questionable trades. It comes with the territory of being a GM for a team for several seasons, but some contracts and trades have been worse than others.

With every Manny Ramirez trade there’s a Jason Schmidt signing as Colletti hasn’t been shy in giving out lucrative contract now that he has the backing of the Guggenheim Group. Matt Snyder of CBSSports.com put together a list of worst contracts among pitchers and Dodgers reliever Brandon League has the worst one of relievers:



He couldn’t hack it as closer and won’t be returning to the role, either. The numbers last season are real ugly, too: 5.30 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 69 hits allowed in 54 1/3 innings with only 28 strikeouts. He also allowed half of his inherited runners to score.

What’s worse is the fact that League has two years and $17 million remaining on the contract as his spot in the Dodgers bullpen is murky at best. League signed a three-year $22.5 million contract last winter and was the Dodgers closer heading into the season before relinquishing that role in June.

Acquired from the Mariners at the trade deadline in 2012, League impressed with a 2-1 record and a 2.30 ERA in 28 games for the Dodgers. However, 2013 was a completely different story as he was 6-4 with a 5.30 ERA and in 54 innings, he only struck out 28 batters with a K/BB rate of 1.87.

Meanwhile, Dodgers starting pitcher Josh Beckett was included on the list of worst contracts for starting pitchers:

Josh Beckett’s $17 million due for next season look pretty awful, too, considering his health concerns and the fact that he’s been pretty bad since 2011. Since it’s just one year, though, he’s below Danks and Jackson.

Acquired in the blockbuster deal with the Red Sox, Beckett impressed going 2-3 with a 2.93 ERA in seven starts down the stretch in 2012, but injuries plagued his 2013 season.

Beckett went 0-5 with a 5.19 ERA as many hoped he’d excel with a weaker hitting NL West compared to the offensive AL East. In late June, it was announced that Beckett would undergo season-ending surgery and hopes to be ready for 2014.

While the Beckett contract wasn’t Colletti’s doing, giving League such a lucrative contract for diminishing results has him voted as the worst relief contract in baseball.

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