Last week, the Top 7 looked at some of the worst long-term contracts in baseball history.  It’s a good list to re-visit just about once a year because there are some that are getting worse, some every day (Barry Zito) and some headed there (will Alfonso Soriano even be worth 25 grand a year in five more seasons)? 

This week, showing that we’re not all about negativity, here are the best long-term contracts ever signed in terms of the value that they returned.  For the purposes of the list, it does not count when a guy is just coming into the league, they would have to sign a contract afterwards, so Prince Fielder’s rookie contract can’t be on here even though it’s about as good of a deal as you can have.  The same goes for fliers taken on a guy - Chris Carpenter’s deal with the Cardinals would top that list.  These are long-term deals that actually ended up working out well, and they are kind of hard to find.

7. Todd Helton

He has three years remaining on his 9-year, $141.5 million contract.  He has never been injured and has a pretty consistent batting average, though his power numbers are way off what they used to be.  He is almost on the list by default because there really aren’t that many long-term deals that work out.

6. Albert Pujols

Even though the contract doesn’t run out until 2010 (with an option for ’11), Pujols could not play another game and it would still be a good value.  Four years in, he has a championship, an MVP, and has set an all-time record for fan-based man crushes.  As a comparison, Scott Rolen’s deal was just $10 million less, and Carlos Lee’s was the same amount of money for one fewer season.  It’s a steal, and could easily be #1 if he stays healthy through the duration. 

5. Manny Ramirez

When he turned down Cleveland’s deal and signed with Boston for 8 years and $160 million, it seemed like an insane amount of money, until two things happened—A-Rod signing for almost $100 million more, and Manny being…a guy who was worth it.  He has finished in the top 20 of MVP every year including the top 10 each year but one (plus he would be the MVP so far this season), has two titles, and a World Series MVP.  He also has 260 homers and a batting average well over .300.  It’s amazing that even in the last year of such a massive deal that he is still giving them value.

4. Vladimir Guerrero

He is in the last year of a 5-year, $70 million contract, and anytime there is no question as to whether an option will be picked up, you know it’s a good deal.  $14 million a year for Guerrero is less than what Torii Hunter and Vernon Wells receive, and is the exact same amount that JD Drew receives.  Playing on the west coast doesn’t help for his attention, but he has never hit fewer than 29 homers, had an average less than .317, or finished lower than 9th in MVP voting since he signed with Anaheim/LA.

3. Mark Buehrle

It’s even harder for pitchers to make appearances on the list, but Buehrle definitely deserves it—he put in two extremely solid years on a 3-year, $18 million deal with the White Sox, and though his third year wasn’t amazing, two great ones and a World Series for next to nothing (in starting pitcher terms) is an incredible deal.

2. Pedro Martinez

He signed a 6-year, $75 million deal with the Red Sox, and was probably worth at least two times that.  He put up ERAs that almost don’t look like they are real when you see them on his Baseball Reference page, including 1.74 job during a year when Bobby Higginson hit 30 home runs.

1. Ken Griffey Jr.

The Mariners signed him long-term after his fourth year in the majors, paying him $6 million a year for four years, and ended up getting some of the best seasons by a player his age in the history of baseball.

The Top 7 is written by Jason Major.  He signed a 4 year deal to be teacher at a public school and got extra copies of Where the Red Fern Grows as part of his signing bonus.  Email him at jason@joesportsfan.com