Yovanni Gallardo was an excellent starter for the Milwaukee Brewers for 8 seasons. He consistently struck out nearly 200 batters a season. He won 13–17 games a year and his ERA was almost always in the mid-3.00 range. After one season with the Rangers, the Orioles deemed it a good idea to pay him $22 million for a two-year contract. Gallardo was only 30 years old at the time.
He ended up with a 6-8 record striking out only 85 batters with an ERA of 5.42. It was a disaster. However, they found a trading partner and sent him to the Mariners. He was so bad with the Mariners that he got demoted to the bullpen midseason. The final results were a 5-10 record with a 5.72 ERA. Unfortunately, it did not get better after the contract. He tried unsuccessfully with the Reds and Rangers but then he retired. This great pitcher was burned out by the age of 30.
However, it was at that time that the Orioles gave him a $22 million “Swing Badder” contract. It was good for Yovanni but horrible for the Orioles and Mariners.
