Greg Swindell at first glance does not look like a serious financial mistake to the Houston Astros. We must remember that this occurred in 1993. In that year the pay for an average player was slightly below $1 million a year.
In 1993 the Astros stepped up and signed Swindell to a four year $16.4 million contract in hopes that he would become a reliable and effective starter.
From the beginning, Swindell was only average at best for the Astros. His first year he was 12-13 with a 4.16 ERA. Over the next three years he won only 18 games and lost 21. His final year of the contract, he was traded after going 0-3 with a 7.83 ERA in 1996. He was a four year disappointment to the Astros.
He pitched 7 more seasons as a reliever for other teams, never earning the money that the Astros paid.
