The $17 million price tag for just 14 wins: that’s the tough legacy of Joey Hamilton’s tenure with the Toronto Blue Jays, a move that still echoes in franchise history, especially on his 56th birthday today.
High Hopes, Higher Cost
Joey Hamilton is celebrating his 56th today, but for Blue Jays fans, his name likely brings up some pretty brutal memories of one of the worst trades during the Gord Ash era. Seriously, it was a massive swing and a miss. The Jays shipped Woody Williams, Carlos Almanzar, and Peter Tucci off to San Diego to bring Hamilton north. This whole move was reportedly pushed hard by Dave Stewart, who’d just joined the Jays as assistant GM after coaching pitchers for the Padres. Stewart had even played with Hamilton, and he was absolutely convinced Joey was destined for stardom. He was quoted saying, “I think he’s just coming into his own,” and praised him as “a real, real strong competitor,” believing there was “still room for growth.” General Manager Gord Ash clearly bought into the hype, going on record to say, “We have in Joey Hamilton a pitcher who can go in the front end of our rotation,” and they reportedly saw him as the guy to replace Roger Clemens. Talk about pressure! Hamilton’s numbers with the Padres looked good enough on paper: four full seasons averaging over 200 innings a year, a 55-44 record, and a 3.83 ERA.
When Reality Hits Harder Than a Fastball
But hold up, let’s talk about the massive red flags Ash apparently missed. Before the trade, Joey actually led the National League in walks. And he was never, ever a high strikeout pitcher. You look at that 1.39 strikeout-to-walk ratio and it makes you wonder: how did Ash think this guy was going to survive, let alone thrive, in the beast that is the AL East? Man, that’s just a recipe for disaster. And disaster is exactly what happened. In his very first year as a Jay, Hamilton went a brutal 7-8 with a sky-high 6.52 ERA over just 18 starts. The next season, 2000, was even worse; he spent most of it on the DL, managing only six starts. By 2001, he was sitting at a 5-8 record with a 5.89 ERA when the team finally cut ties on August 3rd. It’s never easy to release a guy you’re still paying a hefty $7.25 million, but credit to JP Riccardi, the next GM, who didn’t shy away from fixing Gord Ash’s mistakes. When you add it all up, the Blue Jays dropped a cool $17 million for a grand total of 14 wins from Hamilton. That’s a tough pill to swallow, especially when you consider what happened with the guys they traded away. Woody Williams, for example, went on to rack up 104 more wins in his career! Carlos Almanzar had a few decent, if inconsistent, seasons. Ultimately, Gord Ash was fired. After his Toronto stint, Hamilton landed with the Reds, where he pitched for the rest of 2001, all of 2002, and three appearances in 2003 before they released him too. With the Reds, he posted a 5-12 record with a 5.90 ERA across 46 games. His career finished with a 74-73 record and a 4.44 ERA over 242 games. Solid, sure, but his best years were definitely behind him before he ever wore a Jays uniform.
And hey, while we’re checking in on the diamond, our own Seattle Mariners just dropped a tough one to the Texas Rangers, 10-5. Not the result we wanted tonight, but it’s still early in the season. Gotta regroup and come out swinging for the next one, boys!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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