The Ten Worst Free Agent Signings of All-Time for the Cleveland Indians

Cleveland Indians fans have been unhappy the last decade or so it seems with how the owners of the club have handled free agency, and maybe the lack of players the team has been aggressive in going after.

This year’s offseason was no exception, as fans went crazy all offseason wanting the Indians to find a way to come up with $300 million (or more) to sign 26-year-old franchise player Francisco Lindor.

Some of the comments by owner Paul Dolan when it comes to knowing the team isn’t going to break the bank for Lindor have not gone over well either, another reason some fans have said they are not barging down the gates to get into Progressive Field.

If you go back into the history books you will see though that the Indians have spent in free agency, going all the way back to when it started in 1976.

While there’s been some signings that have been more than worth it, there’s been others that simply have not worked out.

Today we take a look at those signings that haven’t gone so well, as we give you the “The 10 Worst Free Agent Signings of All-Time for the Cleveland Indians.”

10. Kerry Wood

We start the countdown with former Chicago Cubs starter and Indians closer Kerry Wood. If you followed Wood early in his career, you will remember with fondness the afternoon he struck out 20 Houston Astros on a gloomy rain filled day at Wrigley Field.

His career though was at its peak at that point, as from there he was riddled with elbow injuries, and was moved to the bullpen to be a closer. He saved 34 games with the Cubs in 2009, and the Indians took a big risk on a two-year deal worth $20.5 million.

Wood saved 20 games in 2009, but lasted just four months into his second season before he was dealt to the New York Yankees. He saved eight games before the deal in 2010, and in his time with the Tribe went 4-7 with a 4.80 ERA.

9. Chuck Finley

In the late 90’s to early 2000’s the Indians got into this mold of chasing veteran pitchers on the free agent market, and one player they actually did land was former Los Angeles Angels lefty Chuck Finley.

Finley earned a $26 million dollar deal from the Tribe over three seasons. He was an All-Star that first season, going 16-11 with a 4.17 ERA. In 2001 he went 8-7 with a 5.54 ERA, and the writing was on the wall his career was fading away.

The next year he was dealt as the Indians suffered a terrible season, with Finley going 4-11 with a 4.44 ERA as he was traded to the St.Louis Cardinals.

8. Wayne Garland

The Indians very first big free agent signing was a pitcher by the name of Wayne Garland, who probably is more of an afterthought than someone fans remember for his tenure with the Tribe.

Garland went 20-7 with the Orioles in 1976, convincing the Indians to ink him to a massive (at the time) 10-year deal worth $2.3 million.

He went from winning 20 games in 1976 to losing 19 in 1977, and never was the ace of the Indians staff they were looking for.

He would manage to go just 2-3 the next season with a 7.89 ERA and had to have surgery on a torn rotator cuff.

Garland was up and down over the next three years before he was let go after the 1981 season. In his five years Garland went 28-48 with a 4.50 ERA for the Indians, and after his time in Cleveland he never pitched at the Major League level again.

7. Michael Bourn

The Indians got what they felt was a steal when they inked Bourn to a four-year worth $48 million back in February of 2013.

It was Terry Francona’s first season as Indians manager, and getting a guy at the top of the lineup the team felt would make them that much more dangerous.

Bourn was known for his base stealing, as he nabbed 42 bases in 2012, but the Indians never saw that type of speed, as he managed to steal 46 bases over the next two and a half seasons with Cleveland.

He was a good clubhouse guy and was compared a lot to Kenny Lofton, but It just never happened, and in the summer of 2015 he was dealt to the Atlanta Braves.

6. David Dellucci

The Tribe inked Dellucci as their everyday left fielder in December of 2006, but didn’t make it halfway through his first season as he severely tore his hamstring in June of 2007.

The 33-year-old inked a three-year deal worth $11.5 million. He played in 56 games in 2007, hitting .230 with four homers and 20 RBI.

In 2008 the Indians were going nowhere fast, and despite playing in 113 games with 11 homers and 47 RBI his average dipped to .238.

He was dealt during the 2009 season by the Indians to the Blue Jays after playing just 14 games. He played in just eight games with Toronto and never played in the Majors again.

5. Ricky Gutierrez

The Tribe was hopeful that Gutierrez could man second base until Jason Kipnis would be ready to be in big leagues ready to play on a daily level.

Gutierrez played nine years in the National League before joining the Indians, but played well in his first season, hitting .275 with four homers and 38 RBI.

The former first-round pick of the Orioles played for six teams in his career, and was able to be a part of the postseason playing in four seasons with the Astros.

4. Nick Swisher

The former Ohio State star who was known for calling everyone “Bro,” was handed the biggest free agent contract in team history at the time, a four-year deal worth $56 million.

Fans loved his hometown spirit and the fact he did the “O” for Ohio State after hitting a homer, something he did 22 times in 2013.

In 2014 injuries killed him, as he went from playing in 145 games the season before to just 97. He hit just .208 that season with eight homers and 42 RBI before eventually having double knee-surgery.

Finally the Indians were able to package their two big 2013 free agents in Bourn and Swisher and send them to the Atlanta Braves, saving the money they otherwise would have lost keeping them on the roster and hurting the team’s ability to sign other players.

3. Brett Myers

If you forgot about the Indians one-year deal with former Philadelphia Phillies World Series pitcher Brett Myers, don’t feel bad – we had to remind quite a few people about him being a one-time Indian.

Myers’ deal was inked on New Year’s Day 2013, and to say he was awful in his time with the Indians would be being kind.

He was best known as a starter for the Phillies during their runs in the mid-2000’s, winning at one point 14 games in 2003 and 13 games in 2005.

Myers never fit in with the Indians, and it didn’t take long for the Indians to realize this wasn’t a good fit. He pitched in just four games, starting three, and was 0-3 with an ugly ERA over eight.

In 21.1 innings Myers allowed 10 homers, a sign that his pitches just didn’t have any movement left.

2. Jack McDowell

“Blackjack” McDowell was coming off a 1995 season in which he went 15-10 with a 3.93 ERA. Just two years before that he had won 22 games, losing 10, as an All-Star for the Chicago White Sox.

Sadly by the time he got to Cleveland to be the number two or three in a veteran rotation that was the best in baseball in 95, good old “Blackjack” seemed more worried about his rock band than winning a World Series.

He did win 13 games in 1996, but with an ERA of 5.11 he really just wasn’t the same impressive pitcher who reminded a lot of people of Randy Johnson, (just five inches shorter).

In 1997 he was an afterthought by the time the Indians made it to game seven of the World Series, as he pitched in just eight games total, starting six and going 3-3 with a 5.09 ERA

1. Keith Hernandez

Many people still can’t even recall the fact that the Indians made a fairly big free agent signing going out and nabbing first basemen Keith Hernandez off the free agent wire.

The year was 1989, and the Indians were not going anywhere fast, but that didn’t stop them from signing Hernandez to a deal worth $3.5 million over two seasons.

At the time it was a big amount, but it didn’t pay off whatsoever for the Tribe. He played in a whole 19 games, hitting .200 in 43 games.

He also had little to no power left at the plate, as he hit just one homer and drove in eight runs in 130 trips to the plate.

$3.5 million now seems like a joke for any big name player, but for the Indians 30 years ago it was a fortune, and one that didn’t pay off at all.