Like all Major League Baseball teams, the Pittsburgh Pirates have entered into their fair share of good and bad player contracts. Long-term contracts are inevitably and inherently risky for both the team and the player. With hindsight being 20\/20, here\u2019s one man\u2019s opinion on the five worst contracts in Pirates history. This will include both free agent contracts and contract extensions.<\/p>\n
On April 1, 1981, the Pirates traded their fighting catcher<\/a> Ed Ott<\/a> and minor league pitcher Mickey Mahler<\/a> to the California Angels to obtain Jason Thompson<\/a>, a slugging, left-handed hitting first baseman. Thompson was immediately flipped to the New York Yankees for Jim Spencer<\/a>, an older, left-handed hitting first baseman, and two young pitching prospects. Oh \u2013 and the Yankees threw in $400,000. That\u2019s the part baseball commissioner Bowie Kuhn didn\u2019t like.<\/p>\n Using his self-proclaimed authority to veto trades involving excessive cash amounts as “not in the best interests of baseball,\u201d Kuhn vetoed the Pirates\/Yankees deal. Unable to restructure the deal to Kuhn\u2019s liking, the Pirates would keep Thompson.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, that was after Pirates general manager Hardy Peterson<\/a> and chief scout Howie Haak said the quiet part out loud. Justifying dealing Thompson for Spencer, Peterson told Charley Feeney of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette<\/em>, \u201cFirst, Spencer is an outstanding fielding first baseman and Thompson isn\u2019t. Second, Spencer hits left-handed pitchers better than Thompson.\u201d Added Haak, \u201cSpencer is a pull hitter and Thompson hits to the long part of most ballparks.\u201d<\/p>\n As a result, the sensitive Thompson felt unwanted. It showed in his performance. In the strike-shortened season, he hit just .242\/.396\/.502, 15 HR, and 42 RBI. On September 6, Thompson told Dan Donovan of The Pittsburgh Press<\/em> that he was bothered by his situation in Pittsburgh. At the time, Thompson was hitting .186\/.343\/.365. \u201cI\u2019m bitter and I guess I\u2019ll always be bitter,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n However, a few million dollars can cure a lot of bitterness. With free agency looming, Thompson had a career year in 1982. He hit .284\/.391\/.511, 31 HR, 101 RBI, and 147 OPS+ while accumulating 4.7 WAR. That earned him a five-year, $5.5 million deal to remain with Pittsburgh. It may not seem like much in today\u2019s era of bloated contracts, but at the time it was the biggest contract in Pirates history.<\/p>\n Alas, Thompson never lived up to it. From 1983-85, he hit .252\/.367\/.392, 47 HR, and 211 RBI. His home run numbers steadily declined, from 18 in 1983 to 17 in 1984 to 12 in 1985. Four of his 1984 homers came in an afternoon doubleheader at Wrigley Field.<\/p>\n The quiet, overly sensitive, laid-back Californian never fit in the former steel town. Given Thompson\u2019s issues during the 1981 season, Peterson was dreaming if he thought it could be otherwise. Fans accustomed to the free-swinging Pirates of Dave Parker<\/a> and Al Oliver<\/a> were frustrated watching Thompson take pitches over the heart of the plate with men on base. Seemingly every time Thompson connected with a mistake pitch, true to Haak\u2019s 1981 assessment, the result was a fly out to the center field warning track. When the Pirates finally traded Thompson in the spring of 1986, he opened up to Bob Hertzel of The Press<\/em>. \u201cLast year was torture,\u201d said Thompson. \u201cThe whole scene. I took a lot of unfair abuse. It was pretty unbearable.\u201d Two months later, Thompson\u2019s career was over after he went 10-for-51 in 30 games with the Montreal Expos.<\/p>\n 4\/4\/86<\/p>\n The Pirates trade the enigmatic Jason Thompson to the Expos. Thompson hits .196 in 30 games for Montreal and is released in July. [image or embed]<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 J. Daniel (@jdaniel2033.bsky.social<\/a>) April 4, 2024 at 6:15 PM<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\u201cI\u2019ll Always Be Bitter\u201d<\/h4>\n
“Pretty Unbearable”<\/h4>\n
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\nHere is the rest of the action for April 4th in 1980s Baseball: https:\/\/80sbaseball.com\/april4\/<\/p>\n