15 worst Toronto Blue Jays free agent signings in franchise history

12. OF Otis Nixon - two years, $4.4M (1995-1996 offseason)

Prior to his brief career as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, Nixon had functioned as a pesky leadoff hitter who had some serious wheels for multiple clubs including the Yankees, Indians, Expos, Braves, Red Sox and Rangers.

He was a lock for over 50 stolen bases a year while hitting somewhere in the .270-.290 range and was good for some solid defense in the center field, his position by trade.

Nixon was essentially JUST a singles hitter. He had zero pop whatsoever and didn’t ever post much in the way of extra base hits throughout his career. In 1991, he had 119 hits and only 11 of them were for extra bases.

With the Jays, his contract didn’t necessarily break the bank, but it also provided little in the way of actual value. He had an OPS+ of just 78 over the course of his two year tenure in Toronto and saw his defensive value completely disappear. In 228 games he posted a combined -0.6 dWAR for the club.

Nixon was a slap-hitting switch-hitter who served a clear purpose for teams over the years. The Jays got him at the tail end of his career and ultimately didn’t get much.