With some NFL teams sitting at 0-2, I know fans and pundits have already declared seasons a bust and certain player acquisitions even bigger busts. I’m not worried about the NFL or its teams, but I appreciate the rush to judge. It’s what fans do.

With only 12 games left in the regular season, it’s not too early to pass judgement on free agent signings, whether from earlier in the year or the past few. While some people will say because the market dictated the costs of these players, they are necessarily worth every dollar they could get. And no matter how much revenue owners garner, I’ll continue to argue some players aren’t worth their salaries.

Two years into the deal, Cub fans and the local press are questioning the value of the Dansby Swanson deal, but few are doubting whether signing Shota Imanaga is worth it. People pretend starters’ wins don’t matter, but I’m not sure where the Cubs would be without Imanaga performance. They are 22-6 in games he has started this season.

Since none of the money that goes to players’ salaries comes from fans pockets, we’re told not to worry as it’s not our money. To an extent they’re right, however, most owners are successful businesspeople who know how to turn a buck. And while they might not admit it to their fans, they are often loath to make the same mistake twice. Even Steve Cohen, the Mets owner, isn’t going to throw money at every free agent who may be trending in the wrong direction.

We’ve seen several players in the last decade bet on themselves when it comes to free agency and what they’ll settle for. Most seem to not care how badly they underperform when they do. Some GM’s and owners have a difficult time reconciling paying for past performance v. future performance and teams suffer as a result, sometimes for generations.

Consider each team’s highest paid free agent in their history. Are there more Andrew Benintendi’s?