MLB's Five Most Overpaid Players in 2010

With only a few more months to go before a champion is crowned, the 2010 season is winding down. As always, there are those players who have outplayed their current contracts and those players who haven't lived up to the millions of dollars that they are being paid.

Problems with age, injuries, and plain old ineffectiveness are some reasons why these players made the list. It may not be fair to pick on someone who has battled injuries, but the club still has to pay the salary regardless if he is hurt or not. 

This list is in no particular order, so I will let you guys debate who belongs where.

Alex Rodriguez—2010 Salary, $33 million

You can't have a list of the most overpaid players in baseball without the richest man in the sport.

It also doesn't help that his performance has been very un-A-Rod like. His numbers across the board are very modest, especially his .334 OBP. 

Age is catching up to Rodriguez and it's a very reasonable question to ask how good he would have been without steroids. The highlight of his 2010 season will be hitting home run No. 600.

That is, unless he delivers the same type of October heroics that he did last year. 

While A-Rod is still an effective player, his production hasn't come close to equaling the $33 million price tag. Robinson Cano has taken the stage away from the tainted slugger and rightfully so, with his MVP-type season.

Carlos Zambrano—2010 salary, $18.8 million

Saying Carlos Zambrano has been horrible in 2010 is an understatement.

"Big Z" has not only underperformed, but has also personally done his best to derail the Chicago Cubs clubhouse with his dugout tirade earlier this season. 

He's getting paid to be the ace of the staff and one of baseball's best pitchers. Yet, his struggles on the mound have led to him being demoted to the bullpen—where his struggles continued—and now he is set to make a return to the rotation on Monday.

With a career-worst ERA of 5.61, it will be especially important for Zambrano to finish the season strong to show the organization that this season was an aberration. The Cubs made it clear that Big Z was available at the deadline, but there were no takers.

It wouldn't be surprising if the Cubs pushed even harder to move him and his bloated contract this offseason.

Carlos Beltran—2010 salary, $19.4 million

Carlos Beltran's season has been all but taken away by offseason knee surgery.

He's appeared in just 19 games so far, hitting .212 with one home run. Beltran has struggled with injuries the past couple years and the New York Mets have to wonder if their center fielder will ever return to his old form.

It will be interesting to see if the Mets—whose playoff chances are dwindling by the day—will shut down Beltran if he suffers any setbacks in the near future. Having the switch-hitter in the lineup next season will be more important than right now. 

It may not seem fair to pick on a guy who hasn't been healthy, but (like I said), healthy or not, the Mets still have to pick up the bill at the end of the day.

Manny Ramirez—2010 salary, $18.7 million

Ever since his steroid suspension, things haven't been the same for Manny.

Injuries and age have slowed Ramirez down as he has only appeared in 61 games this season.

One positive for the Los Angeles Dodgers is that Ramirez hasn't been a distraction. Outside of trade rumors involving him, there hasn't been much talk surrounding a man whose play and antics used to call for constant attention. 

His .317 batting average and 39 RBI are decent numbers through 61 games, but not what we've come to expect from the slugger. The eight home runs suggest that we may never see Manny hit 25-30 home runs again, which two years ago would have sounded absurd. 

There's a great chance the Dodgers and Ramirez will part ways after this season and an even better chance that we will see the slugger back in the American League where he can DH.

Todd Helton—2010 salary, $17.7 million

It hurts to pick on a guy that has done everything right in his career.

Todd Helton has been everything you would want out of a franchise player; he's polite, humble, and goes about his business without making a peep.

This year, though, the Colorado Rockies wish his bat would make more noise.

Helton had a very solid season last year, hitting .325 to go along with 15 homers and 86 RBI. He's been a bit banged up this season, causing his production to slide, but no one expected a fall to be this dramatic.

Every season that's seen Helton finish with 300 at-bats or more has also seen him hit over .300. He has 256 AB right now and is hitting a career-low .250.

Even worse, Helton is striking out at a career-high pace and has been unable to hit the ball out of the park. Two home runs at a home run hitting park isn't going to cut it for a man who once hit 49.

Helton has always been an under-the-radar type player who never got the attention he deserved. Nevertheless, he's had an incredible career so you would think his declining production would be a hotter national conversation.