The San Diego Padres handed Eric Hosmer a huge eight-year, $144 million contract before the 2018 season.
They probably regretted doing that a year or two into the deal.
He had World Series pedigree after reaching the Fall Classic two years in a row in 2014 and 2015, winning the latter.
However, he was never a truly elite hitter, at least not to the extent that he deserved that kind of pact.
The Padres did it anyway, and only a handful of years after putting ink to paper, they were discussing the possibility of attaching a prospect to Hosmer so any team would take him off their hands.
His career with the Padres ended when the team was able to ship him to the Boston Red Sox on deadline day, a little over a week ago.
WAR Thinks Hosmer Is Barely A Replacement-Level Player
If we look at Hosmer’s Wins Above Replacement (WAR) as a Padre, we understand why the team was so eager to get rid of him and his atrocious contract.
“Jurickson Profar in 106 games this season: 2.7 fWAR. Eric Hosmer’s entire Padres career (596 games): 0.5 fWAR,” baseball writer Nick Lee tweeted.
Jurickson Profar in 106 games this season: 2.7 fWAR
Eric Hosmer’s entire Padres career (596 games): 0.5 fWAR
— Nick Lee (@NickLee51) August 11, 2022
Wins Above Replacement, or WAR, is a stat that considers hitting, fielding, and baserunning contributions and results in a single number that evaluates how much a player helps his team in comparison to a “replacement level” player.
A good player usually finishes a season with at least 3 WAR: 5 WAR is star territory, and anything over 6 or 7 WAR means MVP-caliber performance.
In four-and-a-half seasons in San Diego, Hosmer only contributed half a WAR.
His contract was a huge disappointment, and forced the Padres to bring in fellow first baseman Josh Bell at the deadline.