Dodgers five worst signings this decade

3) Scott Kazmir

3-years, $48 million

This is an example of a contract that looks different today than it did when it was signed. While some fans were concerned about the Dodgers signing a pitcher with an injury history who had pitched only one 200-inning season in his career, many saw the three-year, $48 million deal as a possible one year deal.

Kazmir’s pact with the Dodgers included an opt-out clause after the first season, as the left-handed pitcher was coming off two strong seasons, and many believed he would be one of the premier pitchers in a weak free agent market the following winter.

The Dodgers were looking for pitching depth, after losing Zack Greinke to the Diamondbacks and health questions killing a deal they had with Hisashi Iwakuma. Kazmir became their guy, another left-hander in a rotation that headed into the season entirely made up of lefties.

The left-hander would pitch through the beginning of the 2016 season to moderate success before experiencing discomfort in his hip in August. He was sent to the disabled list, returning for one start in September in which he lasted only one inning before being pulled in what turned out to be his final game in a Dodger uniform.

Kazmir’s three-year, $48 million contract netted Los Angeles 26 starts. He pitched to a 4.56 ERA and spent the second and third years of his contract rehabbing. He was eventually traded to the Braves in a luxury tax sweeping move that sent Adrian Gonzalez, Charlie Culberson, Brandon McCarthy and cash to the Atlanta Braves for Matt Kemp.