Breakdown of baseball's $100 million contracts

Nine figure contracts are all the rage in baseball over the past few seasons. Of the 36 contracts worth at least $100 million signed in league history, 17 of them took effect in the year 2010 or later, and 23 of them have taken effect in 2008 or later. Massive contracts have a terrible attachment to a decline in performance for players, but is that thinking actually sound? I'm going to take a look at the 13 contracts worth a total of $100 million that have taken effect before 2008, and see how they have worked out for the teams and the players that signed them. Kevin Brown, $105 million (1999-2005) The first $100 million player in baseball was...Kevin Brown? Yep. The Dodgers inked Brown to a seven year, $105 million deal before the 1999 season, and it looked bad even then, with Brown turning 34 before that 1999 season even began and coming off of the best season of his career in 1998 with the NL champion Padres. Brown stayed with the Dodgers for five of the seven years of the...