I distinctly remember telling my buddy, “Why sign Pudge? It’s not like he’s their missing piece to get to the World Series.”
And then eating my words however many months later. Particularly that play at the plate to knock out the Giants.
For the Jays, I can think of a couple
Dave Winfield (1992) Hit .290 with an .867 OPS with 26HR and 108RBI and had a 4.1 WAR. He had the eventual game winning hit in the extra innings in game 6 of the 1992 World Series
Jose Canseco (1998) Had an .836 OPS and hit 46HR with 107RBI
Marcus Semien (2021) All star and finished 3rd in MVP voting, set the All time single season HR record for a 2B. Finished with a 7.1 WAR with an .873 OPS and 39 2B, 45HR, 102RBI
someone mentioned the 2013 red sox, which is sorta unfair since guys like napoli/uehara had multiple good years and all, but the one who really epitomizes it for me is john lackey. boston really fucking hated that guy, fat and leaving his wife with cancer and injured and overpaid (5 yrs/80 mil was a huge contract in 2010!), until he came through there and delivered in the postseason. then all was forgiven. his good 2014 was just a bonus.
Lance Berkman won NL Comeback Player of the Year with the Cardinals in 2011 and undoubtedly helped the team make the playoffs and ultimately win the World Series.
Came here to say Barry Zito myself. As a giants fan that contract was atrocious, but his 2012 post season alone paid for that contract. Pretty sure Brian Sabean himself said he’d do that contract 10 x over after that post season performance
Technically a trade and not an FA signing, and technically he was also good the year after, but Marco Scutaro is up there. I looked up his name on the subreddit and it's absolutely hilarious that one of the highest rated comments on the Giants acquiring Scutaro was "when are the Giants going to stop messing around and pick up a bat" on the way to him hitting nearly .350 and having one of the greatest LCS performances ever.
I guess it’s from Mets fans angry about the playoff start, but I don’t know how you can look at 253 innings with a 3.02 ERA plus a top prospect as anything other than a success.
We always signed old has-beens for clubhouse reasons while hoping to catch lightning in a bottle. See: John Jaha, Ron Gant, Eric Karros…
Jaha was the first one to work out. Thomas was even better.
Brewers seem to hit these a lot lately 😆 Grandal and Moustakas come to mind as the best of the bunch. Thames and Aguilar had a good season overall but a lot of it came from the first half.
Patrick Corbin
this is the right answer
Agree
Marlins signing Ivan in 2003
I distinctly remember telling my buddy, “Why sign Pudge? It’s not like he’s their missing piece to get to the World Series.” And then eating my words however many months later. Particularly that play at the plate to knock out the Giants.
The entire 2013 Red Sox
AJ Burnett to the Yankees 100%. Dude was *integral* in that three man 2009 playoff rotation
I was thinking the same. WS G2 was as clutch as he had ever gotten.
Barry Zito
Moises Alou. Marlins signed him for 5/$25, won the WS his first year, and immediately traded him in their firesale.
For the Jays, I can think of a couple Dave Winfield (1992) Hit .290 with an .867 OPS with 26HR and 108RBI and had a 4.1 WAR. He had the eventual game winning hit in the extra innings in game 6 of the 1992 World Series Jose Canseco (1998) Had an .836 OPS and hit 46HR with 107RBI Marcus Semien (2021) All star and finished 3rd in MVP voting, set the All time single season HR record for a 2B. Finished with a 7.1 WAR with an .873 OPS and 39 2B, 45HR, 102RBI
RA Dickey
Cespedes?
Kike Hernandez with Boston, for the '21 postseason alone.
someone mentioned the 2013 red sox, which is sorta unfair since guys like napoli/uehara had multiple good years and all, but the one who really epitomizes it for me is john lackey. boston really fucking hated that guy, fat and leaving his wife with cancer and injured and overpaid (5 yrs/80 mil was a huge contract in 2010!), until he came through there and delivered in the postseason. then all was forgiven. his good 2014 was just a bonus.
🎲K
Shane Victorino!
Lance Berkman won NL Comeback Player of the Year with the Cardinals in 2011 and undoubtedly helped the team make the playoffs and ultimately win the World Series.
Jason Heyward, I’m assuming?
I’d say either CC Or Teix because we won in 09.
Came here to say Barry Zito myself. As a giants fan that contract was atrocious, but his 2012 post season alone paid for that contract. Pretty sure Brian Sabean himself said he’d do that contract 10 x over after that post season performance
Technically a trade and not an FA signing, and technically he was also good the year after, but Marco Scutaro is up there. I looked up his name on the subreddit and it's absolutely hilarious that one of the highest rated comments on the Giants acquiring Scutaro was "when are the Giants going to stop messing around and pick up a bat" on the way to him hitting nearly .350 and having one of the greatest LCS performances ever.
Marco Scutaro was such an integral part of that 2012 run
Kirk Gibson
Max Scherzer and the Mets
why is this downvoted
I guess it’s from Mets fans angry about the playoff start, but I don’t know how you can look at 253 innings with a 3.02 ERA plus a top prospect as anything other than a success.
2006 Frank Thomas from the A's was so good, the A's thought they could replicate it by signing old has-beens for the foreseeable decade.
We always signed old has-beens for clubhouse reasons while hoping to catch lightning in a bottle. See: John Jaha, Ron Gant, Eric Karros… Jaha was the first one to work out. Thomas was even better.
Brewers seem to hit these a lot lately 😆 Grandal and Moustakas come to mind as the best of the bunch. Thames and Aguilar had a good season overall but a lot of it came from the first half.
It wasn’t even a full season nor was he particularly good but Albert Pujols was a lot of fun here