[No coincidences]

Ever think about what would happen if an NFL, NBA or NHL team had a guy on their roster as bad as Brad Penny or Derek Lowe? There are countless examples of guys who simply aren't good enough to be Major Leaguers -- most of them pitchers -- yet teams continue to trot them out there in embarrassing fashion. They eventually get released, only to have some other team pick them up and put up with their bullshit.

Why is this unique to MLB? The talentless always find a home.

[InTheDrink]

You've never heard of Luke Walton?

Unreal

[No coincidences]

You've never heard of Luke Walton?

Unreal

Luke Walton is a good example, but he's no Brad Penny.

There is no comparison to Brad Penny in any sport.

[PickWinnerAllDay]

I mean, it sucks teams and fans have to put up with it.

But are you really asking why it happens? It is just how MLB contracts are. 100% guaranteed money. Always. The financial part of the club hates paying a guy $15,000,000 to sit on his couch. So they pay him $15,000,000 to mop up games.

[No coincidences]

I mean, it sucks teams and fans have to put up with it.

But are you really asking why it happens? It is just how MLB contracts are. 100% guaranteed money. Always. The financial part of the club hates paying a guy $15,000,000 to sit on his couch. So they pay him $15,000,000 to mop up games.

So when they're released and you figure you'll never hear from them again, why do contending teams like the Yankees and Giants choose to pick up guys like Lowe and Penny?

[Brock Landers]

Tell me how BRIAN SCALABRINE has ever made a dime as a professional basketball player. One of the great mysterys in the world right there

[Chi_archie]

Tell me how BRIAN SCALABRINE has ever made a dime as a professional basketball player. One of the great mysterys in the world right there

white mamba!!!!!!

[rm18]

Tell me how BRIAN SCALABRINE has ever made a dime as a professional basketball player. One of the great mysterys in the world right there

I disagree he was a big time player at USC, he mostly played on good teams so did not play much could of put up better numbers on bad teams, at this point he is old but in his prime solid.

[UntilTheNDofTimE]

Royal ivey, jarron collins. Both been in nba 7+ years. Ivey never averaged over 3 ppg

[No coincidences]

You guys are reeling off players who rot on the bench though.

In baseball, you can be shit like this and not only play, but regularly get picked up by other teams.

[PickWinnerAllDay]

So when they're released and you figure you'll never hear from them again, why do contending teams like the Yankees and Giants choose to pick up guys like Lowe and Penny?

Low risk options at that point. You only have to pay them minimum wage and people I guess assume there is a slim chance they will regain what made them elite to begin with.

[borednaz]

I'll tell you why boys, Because finding a guy who can put a 93 or higher mph pitch across the plate is not easy to do. These guys for the most part are sitting there because of velocity not because of control. As stated above once they get that contract, then the boys in the nickel & dime dept won't have them sitting collecting checks.

[No coincidences]

Low risk options at that point. You only have to pay them minimum wage and people I guess assume there is a slim chance they will regain what made them elite to begin with.

So the Yankees don't have to absorb any of Lowe's contract now?

[lakerboy]

Mlb - guranteed deals.

Nfl - not

Nba- small rosters.

Nhl - lower salaries and less big boys.

[No coincidences]

Mlb - guranteed deals.

Nfl - not

Nba- small rosters.

Nhl - lower salaries and less big boys.

At what point and why did owners agree to guaranteed money for the duration of the contract in MLB?

[PickWinnerAllDay]

So the Yankees don't have to absorb any of Lowe's contract now?

My understanding, and it isn't 100%, but if the Indians cut Lowe, they owe him everything... then if someone else picks him up, the new team pays him the league minimum and then the Indians pay everything minus the league minimum.

[HardCore]

kwami brown finds a team every damn year smh

[lakerboy]

Donald Fehr made that happen in 1994.

[No coincidences]

Donald Fehr made that happen in 1994.

So Fehr is the reason I have to watch Brad Penny pitch?

[NYSportsGuy210]

So Fehr is the reason I have to watch Brad Penny pitch?

Yes. NHL I believe hired him also.....or possibly the NFL to help get their players have more contract power.

[lunchbawks]

said it before, every team needs a scrub to make the real players look good.

brandon inge?
scalabrine?

these guys are huge motivators

[riffraff24]

Kwame Brown

[ttwarrior1]

brandon inge is no scrub

[crustyme]

dodgers still paying salaries to andruw jones and manny ramirez.

pays to have a great union.

[ZetaPsi808]

mlb has no salary cap so teams can afford to overpay players

[agendaman]

overpaid /how about golf 1 guy tim clark until he finally won 2 yrs. ago was 0/328 and had made 12.5 million dollars

[t-wizzle]

NBA is filled with stiffs. Many are big guys since good centers are few and far between.

NHL has way too many guys with minimal to no skill but make rosters to fulfill a thug role which to me is the ultimate idiotic thing in any major sport.

NFL the non-guaranteed contracts.

MLB the opposite of NFL with contracts. Guys hang on too long but can't get cut. It's hard to find 10+ arms good enough to face major league hitting.

[Chi_archie]

Because of CC Sabathia landing on the DL for a second time with an elbow injury, plus the early struggles of Joba Chamberlain returning off the DL, the Yankees needed pitching insurance and they got Lowe for the veteran's minimum.
The Indians are on hook for $5 million of the $15 million owed to Lowe; the Braves are paying the remaining $10 million left on Lowe's deal, which is set to expire after the 2012 season.

[Hotdiggity11]

Look at people like Pujols who are already declining but are on a 10 year deal. Yeeesh.

[EXhoosier10]

So when they're released and you figure you'll never hear from them again, why do contending teams like the Yankees and Giants choose to pick up guys like Lowe and Penny?

The team picking up these shitty players only has to pay league minimum salary (as the team who cut them is on the hook for the rest), which means that its equally as costly in terms of salary to pick up a proven commodity as it is to call up a minor leaguer. On top of that, you're probably going to start a rookie's service time / add to it if you call up one of them, which makes the cost a bit higher to call up someone from the minors.

Teams in a pennant race are probably more apt to picking up proven commodities who may be below average rather than putting their playoff hopes in the hand of someone who has never been in the majors before, let alone been in the heat of a playoff race.

edit::: Archie beat me to it.

[jagaf22]

Because of CC Sabathia landing on the DL for a second time with an elbow injury, plus the early struggles of Joba Chamberlain returning off the DL, the Yankees needed pitching insurance and they got Lowe for the veteran's minimum.
The Indians are on hook for $5 million of the $15 million owed to Lowe; the Braves are paying the remaining $10 million left on Lowe's deal, which is set to expire after the 2012 season.

Sure the guy has been horrible but the Yankees get a hungry veteran for $480,000. Looked pretty sharp throwing 4 scoreless against Texas. Sounds like the Braves and Indians are the ones who got fleeced.

[unluckysob]

shows how hard it is to find major league calibre players-----too many teams

[shari91]

overpaid /how about golf 1 guy tim clark until he finally won 2 yrs. ago was 0/328 and had made 12.5 million dollars

[Big_Slim]

MLB:

1. Too many teams
2. Too many games played per season (all season long games are played almost everyday of the week)
3. Too many unknown players (over half of them Hispanics from 3rd world countries)
4. Too many dummies in the front offices
5. Too Boring!!!

[wtt0315]

darren oliver.
oliver perez
actually any closer for the mets or any of the brewers bullpen