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Sometimes teams get stuck with big contracts and there’s just no way they can get out of it. It happens. What usually doesn’t happen is another team stupid enough to trade for that player and take on that albatross of a contract. But the Angels did the Blue Jays a huge favor in trading for Vernon Wells.

After the 2006 season in which Wells belted 32 home runs and 40 doubles while batting over .300, the Blue Jays signed him to a seven-year, $126 million contract. Even then most were skeptical of the deal and then injuries took their toll and his production dropped precipitously. Wells rebounded in 2010 and that was enough for the Angels to take him off the Blue Jays’ hands.

Last season, he batted .218 and even worse, had an on-base percentage of .248. It was the worst on-base percentage for a qualifying outfielder since 1904. The price tag for his services? Try $23 million, and he’s guaranteed another $21 million in each of the next three seasons.

To make matters worse, Mike Napoli was one of the players the Angels traded to acquire Wells. Napoli was then sent to the Angels' divisional rival Rangers, where he hit 30 home runs and batted .320 while helping Texas all the way to the World Series last season.

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