Kansas City Royals: Ten Worst Contracts in Team History

Third Worst Contract Ever – Mark Davis (Royals pitcher from 1990-1992)

Before the 1990 season began, the Royals signed Mark Davis to a three-year contract worth $14 million. The deal seemed fantastic at the time, as Davis was coming off a Cy Young Award season and the Royals felt like they had their man.

Instead, Davis, who was in the 13th year of his major league career, faltered tremendously. He ended that 1990 season with a 5.11 ERA and in his second season posted a 4.45 ERA.

Davis only had seven saves in two seasons with the Royals, and will go on as one of the biggest busts in team history. His three-year $14 million deal might not seem like a whole lot of money now, but in 1990, that was a big contract.

The Royals went big after the Cy Young winner and were burned in the end. They dumped Davis during the 1992 season, trading him to the Braves, and his name continues to be one at the top of the list when it comes to terrible contracts and free agent signings.

As we’ve learned in this article though, big contracts are bound to backfire and that’s what happened here with Mark Davis and the Royals.