Is it really better to have spent and lost than not spent at all?

Here is what the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have gotten thus far for their three big free agent acquisitions since 2012:

Albert Pujols: A .285 batting average with 30 home runs and 105 RBI in 2012. Entering Tuesday's game against Seattle, he is batting .241 with a .418 slugging percentage, seven home runs, 25 RBI and 25 strikeouts. In St. Louis, he batted .300 or better every year except for his final season in 2011 (.299) and never hit fewer than 32 home runs.

Josh Hamilton: This year's big acquisition is hitting a paltry .216 with five home runs, 12 RBI and a .271 on base percentage. And he doesn't even have injuries to blame for these numbers. By contrast, he had a .285 batting average, a .577 slugging percentage, a .354 on base percentage and 43 home runs while missing 14 games with the Texas Rangers last year.

C.J. Wilson: Another player plucked from the Rangers, Wilson has done OK for the Angels since joining the club in 2012 with a combined record of 16-13. However, the Angels didn't hand Wilson a five-year, $75 million deal to be OK. They were looking for a second ace to pair with Jered Weaver -- who, incidentally, is injured.

Between the three of them, Pujols, Hamilton and Wilson make approximately $65 million annually. And for all of that money, the Angels are sitting in fourth place in the American League West with a 17-27 record. Only the Houston Astros (12-32) own a worse record than the Angels in the entire American League.

Sadly, Angels owner Arte Moreno can't get a refund.