Grantland: Bronson Arroyo’s contract honorable mention for worst in baseball
Feb 9, 2015, 11:50 PM | Updated: 11:50 pm
It’s safe to say the Arizona Diamondbacks did not get all they expected out of Bronson Arroyo last season after signing him to a two-year, $23.5 million contract last February.
Arroyo, who turned 37 before Opening Day, started 14 games for Arizona before suffering an injury in his throwing elbow that required Tommy John surgery. In those starts, the right-hander posted a 7-4 record with a 4.08 ERA.
Given that he arrived in Arizona with a reputation for durability — Arroyo had never landed on the disabled list during any of his previous 14 seasons — it’s hard to argue that the signing worked out for the team.
That’s probably why Jonah Keri of Grantland.com listed Arroyo’s contract as “honorable mention” when going over the worst contracts in baseball.
Keri puts Arroyo’s remaining contract at $14 million for one more season.
Technically, Arroyo’s remaining deal is $9.5 million for 2015 plus a $4.5 million buyout to avoid his $11 million salary in 2016. Either way, the result is the same: Arroyo had Tommy John surgery in early July, making him a long shot to return before August and a virtual lock to deliver nothing of value for a moderate-payroll club that’s also overpaying Cody Ross and Trevor Cahill to not contribute.
It’s true no one is quite sure when Arroyo will return, and when he does, what kind of pitcher he will be.
But the one thing that is certain is the deal, which was signed with good intentions on both sides, did not produce the kind of results anyone hoped for in 2014, and it seems unlikely to improve much going forward.
