The Rockies have been a wallflower this winter, spending no money on major league contracts in free agency. It’s been the type of deafeningly quiet offseason that has fans screaming for the club to sign someone.
Putting all of the Rockies’ current issues aside, let’s remember signing big-name free agents hasn’t always worked out well for Colorado. Here’s a look at the five worst free-agent signings in the club’s history.
No. 5 — Darryl Kile
Coming off an all-star season in 1997 in which he finished fifth in the Cy Young Award voting for the Astros, Kile signed a three-year, $24 million deal to come to Colorado. The huge contract — which at the time trailed only Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Roger Clemens in average annual value — was , as Kile went 21-30 with a 5.84 ERA in two seasons with the Rockies. The salt in the wound of this bad contract is that he was traded to St. Louis for the final season of it, where he won 20 games and was an all-star.
No. 4 — Bryan Shaw
The right-hander came over from the Indians prior to 2018, after having led the American League in appearances for three of the previous four years while establishing himself as a steady back-end bullpen presence. But he’s been anything but steady for Colorado. His three-year, $27 million contract — along with the same deal to left-hander Jake McGee and a mega-contract for Wade Davis — has hamstrung the club’s efforts to build a dependable bullpen. He has a 5.61 ERA in 131 games for Colorado.
No. 3 — Denny Neagle
Another unmitigated free-agent pitching disaster, Neagle signed a five-year, $51.5 million contract eight days before Mike Hampton signed with Colorado. The southpaw never came close to living up to the deal with a 19-23 record and 5.57 ERA across three seasons. Elbow and shoulder injuries derailed his career before legal troubles finished his stay in Denver. Neagle had his contract terminated in 2004 after his citation on suspicion of soliciting a prostitute. But the Rockies still had to pay him about $16 million of the remaining $19.5 million on his deal.
No. 2 — Ian Desmond
By signing Desmond to a five-year, $70 million deal in 2016, Colorado vastly overpaid for a utility player who wasn’t a solid defensive fit at first base or in center field. Throw in a -3.4 WAR during his three seasons in LoDo so far, and the result is a cringe-worthy deal as Desmond still has $25 million in guaranteed money left on his contract. The 34-year-old has struck out at a 24.1% clip over the past two seasons, and his 55.4% ground ball rate in that time frame is the second-worst in the majors.
No. 1 — Mike Hampton
The left-hander signed an eight-year, $121 million contract in December 2000 — an MLB record for dollars at the time — that has since become the bar for bad deals in Denver. Then 28, Hampton started well with a 9-5 record and 4.02 ERA in the first half of his opening season in LoDo, and made the all-star team. At that point, the train went off the tracks. In 2002, his second and final year with Colorado, he posted a 6.15 ERA. He was then traded to the Marlins, but a deferred payment plan had Colorado .
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