The Braves have had some notable deals flop / Daniel Shirey-Imagn Images
The Atlanta Braves lack of moves this offseason and starting to get people anxious. The big move will happen when they think have the right guy with the right deal.
It doesn't hurt to be careful. This franchise has made some rough signings in the past. We're gonna look at arguably five of those worst contracts.
To qualify for this list, a player had to sign in free agency. So, trade and signs, like Dan Uggla do not qualify. Those will be part of a trade list. We're also giving any contract from the 2020s decade some slack due to how recent they are.
These deals are also in no particular order.
A few days after Thanksgiving in 2012, the Braves signed the Tampa Bay Rays center fielder to what the largest free-agent contract in team history at the time.
The 27-year-old was coming off a season where he fell just short of a 30-30 season with 28 home runs and 31 stolen bases. In six full seasons with the Devil Rays/Rays, he slashed .255/.338/.430 with 113 home runs, 425 home runs and 217 stolen bases.
In theory, the Braves had found a starting center fielder with some pop and plenty of proven speed on the basepaths to replace all-star Michael Bourn. They even added his brother, Justin, to the lineup. The highest-drafted brothers in MLB history would be together on the Braves.
This flopped as soon as the ink dried on the contract's paper. Upton lasted just two seasons in Atlanta. In that time, he slashed .198/.279/.314 with 21 home runs and 61 RBIs. The power evaporated and his strikeouts rate ballooned to 31.5%.
He and his brother were shipped off to the Padres. Upton was out of baseball before his contract was over. His contract ran through 2017 and his last MLB was 2016.
Kawakami was the first Japanese-born player to sign a contract with the Braves. Heading into the 2009 season, they inked the 33-year-old righty for three years, $23 million.
For his NPB career up to that point, Kawakami had a 3.22 ERA, and 1,328 strikeouts and allowed just 351 walks in 1,642 1/3 innings.
Perhaps he showed his age. Maybe he just struggled in his transition to MLB. Either way, this contract also saw trouble from the beginning. His first season wasn't too bad, but the cracks were showing. He had a 3.97 ERA as a starter before moving to the bullpen in September. He did fair better in the bullpen, with a 2.63 ERA. The following year, it got bad. He finished 2010 with a 5.15 ERA and he made just three appearances after June 26.
Kawakami was removed from the 40-man roster for the third year of his contract. They couldn't find a trade partner either. He went back to Japan after that.
The longtime Cubs and Cardinals closer signed with the Braves ahead of the 1985 season. The hall-of-fame closer and Cy Young Award winner came to the Braves with a career 2.54 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP and 260 career saves.
He made six All-Star teams and was the reliever of the year four times. It was an easy move for the Braves to offer him the six-year deal.
But injuries plagued Sutter his entire tenure with the Braves and a shoulder issue would ultimately end his career four seasons into the deal. Unsurprisingly, he was ineffective in his 112 games with the team, posting a 4.55 ERA and making just 40 saves.
While in the end, the contract is certainly a total bust, the deferrals make it worse. Of this $9.6 million contract, only $4.8 million was paid out during his playing career. The other half was deferred at 13% interest over 30 years. The New York Times estimated that he would be paid $39 million - $1.3 million per year. A total of about $44 million once it was all said and done.
According to Forbes, the Braves were still paying Sutter at the time of his death at 69 years old in 2022.
Wait, a one-year deal couldn't possibly...oh.
After three internet-viral seasons with the rival New York Mets, the Braves decided they wanted in on the action, inking him to a one-year, $12.5 million deal for 2017. Let the fun begin.
But it didn't begin. In 13 starts, the 44-year-old veteran starter had an egregious 8.14 ERA and a 1.77 WHIP.
Colón didn't even finish the year with the Braves. He was released on July 4, and he signed a minor league deal with the Twins shortly after.
So, yes, a one-year deal can be such a dud that it can qualify as an all-timer.
Ahead of the 2009 season, along with Kawakami, the Braves added Derek Lowe to bolster the starting rotation. Lowe had been a two-time All-Star with the Red Sox and was a member of the 2004 World Series team. He was then a reliable arm for the Dodgers.
From 1999 to 2008, he posted a 3.64 ERA in 450 games, 236 starts.
His first two seasons in Atlanta were mediocre with a 4.33 ERA in 67 starts. The wheels came off in year three with a 5.05 ERA in 34 starts in 2011. He was traded to the Cleveland Indians ahead of the 2012 and had to eat $10 million of his remaining $15 million.