Each MLB Team's Worst Bang-For-Your-Buck Player in 2022
Not every MLB player lives up to his salary.
Whether it's a high-priced free-agent signing falling short of expectations, an arbitration-eligible player who is failing to match his previous success, or a small market team failing to get maximum value out of one of their highest-paid players, every MLB payroll has at least one player not earning his salary.
Ahead we've highlighted each MLB team's worst bang-for-your-buck player in 2022, including a look at what percentage of the team's total payroll their salary accounts for and a few (dis)honorable mentions for each club as well.
Off we go!
Arizona Diamondbacks: LHP Madison Bumgarner
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2022 Salary: $18 million (21.8% of 2022 payroll)
The five-year, $85 million contract that the Arizona Diamondbacks gave to Madison Bumgarner prior to the 2020 season looked like a mistake at the time, and that outlook went from bad to worse when he struggled to a 6.48 ERA in 41.2 innings during the shortened 2020 season.
He has a 4.77 ERA in 283.0 innings since the start of last season—including a 4.87 ERA in 136.2 innings this year—but that's still not exactly eight-figure production.
To make matters worse, the D-backs also back-loaded the deal and deferred $15 million over the final three years, so his 2022 salary is technically $23 million.
Also considered: SS Nick Ahmed ($8.1 million), RHP Mark Melancon ($6 million)
Atlanta Braves: OF/DH Marcell Ozuna
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2022 Salary: $16 million (8.8% of 2022 payroll)
After he led the National League in home runs (18) and RBI (56) during the shortened 2020 season, the Atlanta Braves re-signed Marcell Ozuna to a four-year, $64 million deal that includes a $16 million club option and $1 million buyout in 2025.
Following a domestic violence arrest in 2021 and subsequent 20-game suspension, there was some question of whether he had played his last game. The team ultimately welcomed him back, but following a DUI arrest last month, his MLB future is rightfully cloudy at best.
The 31-year-old is hitting a paltry .213 with a 79 OPS+ and minus-1.2 WAR in 108 games this year.
Also considered: OF Adam Duvall ($9.3 million), OF Eddie Rosario ($9 million)
Baltimore Orioles: C Robinson Chirinos
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2022 Salary: $900,000 (2.1% of 2022 payroll)
The highest-paid player on the Baltimore Orioles this season is veteran starter Jordan Lyles, who is earning $6 million, and he has been a valuable innings-eater at the top of a young rotation.
The only other players over the $1 million mark are Anthony Santander ($3.2 million), the injured John Means ($3 million) and the traded Trey Mancini ($7.5 million), so it took some digging to come up with an answer here.
Veteran catcher Robinson Chirinos was signed to keep the catcher position warm until Adley Rutschman was ready, and he did that while posting a .182 average and 59 OPS+ in 188 plate appearances.
Also considered: LHP John Means ($3 million)
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Boston Red Sox: LHP Chris Sale
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2022 Salary: $20 million (9.6% of 2022 payroll)
It's been a trying three years for Chris Sale.
The former ace missed the 2020 season following Tommy John surgery, pitched just 42.2 innings last season after a lengthy recovery, and then dealt with perhaps his most frustrating season to date this year.
He missed the first three-and-a-half months of the season with a stress fracture in his ribs and then returned for two starts before suffering a fractured finger on a comebacker. Then, while recovering from that injury, he fell off his bike and broke his right wrist, effectively ending his season.
In the end, the Red Sox will pay $20 million this season for 5.2 innings of work, and he has another $10 million worth of 2022 salary deferred.
Also considered: 2B Trevor Story ($20 million), RHP Matt Barnes ($8.1 million), IF/OF Enrique Hernández ($7 million)
Chicago Cubs: RF Jason Heyward
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2022 Salary: $24.5 million (16.1% of 2022 payroll)
The Jason Heyward era will officially end in Chicago this offseason, as team president Jed Hoyer announced in early August that the veteran right fielder would be released this offseason ahead of the final year of his eight-year, $184 million deal.
He'll wrap up his Cubs career with 8.9 WAR over 744 games, and while he was an integral veteran voice during the team's World Series run in 2016, it's hard to look at his tenure on the North Side as anything but a disappointment.
He hit .204/.278/.277 for a 57 OPS+ in 151 plate appearances this year before he was shut down with knee inflammation.
Also considered: RHP Marcus Stroman ($25 million), RHP Kyle Hendricks ($14 million)
Chicago White Sox: C Yasmani Grandal
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2022 Salary: $18.3 million (9.3% of 2022 payroll)
Catcher Yasmani Grandal had a terrific 2021 season with the Chicago White Sox, posting a 155 OPS+ with 23 home runs, 62 RBI and an elite .420 on-base percentage.
However, things have taken a sharp downturn in the third season of a four-year, $73 million deal. The 33-year-old is hitting just .202/.309/.261 for a 65 OPS+ with three home runs in 298 plate appearances, and his minus-1.0 WAR has made him one of the least valuable players in baseball.
Also considered: RHP Lance Lynn ($18.5 million), OF AJ Pollock ($14.5 million), 3B Yoán Moncada ($13.8 million), RHP Joe Kelly ($7 million)
Cincinnati Reds: 1B Joey Votto
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2022 Salary: $25 million (21.7% of 2022 payroll)
First baseman Joey Votto will go down as one of the greatest players in Cincinnati Reds franchise history when all is said and done, and he already ranks fourth all-time in club history in WAR, trailing only Pete Rose, Johnny Bench and Barry Larkin.
However, after a resurgent 2021 season, this has been a year to forget for the 38-year-old veteran. He hit .205/.319/.370 for an 86 OPS+ with minus-0.2 WAR in 91 games before undergoing season-ending surgery to repair a torn left rotator cuff.
The Reds are still on the hook for another $25 million in 2023, and then he has a $20 million club option with a $7 million buyout in 2024.
Also considered: DH Mike Moustakas ($16 million), LHP Mike Minor ($10 million)
Cleveland Guardians: DH Franmil Reyes
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2022 Salary: $3.1 million (4.7% of 2022 payroll)
The Cleveland front office does a great job keeping bad money off the books, and Jose Ramirez ($22 million) and Shane Bieber ($6 million) are the only players making more than $5 million this season, so there was no obvious answer here.
The $3.1 million figure attached to Franmil Reyes is the fifth-highest salary on the books, and he struggled this season to the point of first being demoted to the minors and ultimately being designated for assignment. He had a .213 average, 72 OPS+ and 37.1 percent strikeout rate in 280 plate appearances in Cleveland before he was cut loose.
To make matters worse, he has seemingly found new life after catching on with the Chicago Cubs with a 125 OPS+ and four home runs in 22 games.
Also considered: C Austin Hedges ($4 million)
Colorado Rockies: LF Kris Bryant
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2022 Salary: $18 million (12.9% of 2022 payroll)
Why did a Colorado Rockies team that was a multitude of pieces away from being even a fringe contender give Kris Bryant a seven-year, $182 million contract?
The four-time All-Star and 2016 NL MVP was the team's most high-profile signing since they gave Ian Desmond an ill-advised five-year, $70 million deal, and this signing is shaping up to be equally regrettable.
Bryant has played just 42 games while making multiple trips to the injured list, and while he's hitting .306/.376/.475 with five home runs and 14 RBI in 181 plate appearances, his 0.4 WAR has hardly justified his salary.
Also considered: DH Charlie Blackmon ($21.3 million), OF Randal Grichuk ($10.3 million)
Detroit Tigers: DH Miguel Cabrera
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2022 Salary: $32 million (23.7% of 2022 payroll)
Miguel Cabrera provided Detroit Tigers fans with some early excitement in his chase for 3,000 hits, and he did the same last year as he eclipsed the 500 home run mark, but it's hard to say he has earned a $32 million salary that is tied for the 12th-highest in baseball in 2022.
The future Hall of Famer is hitting .258/.308/.319 with four home runs and 37 RBI in 390 plate appearances, and his minus-0.8 WAR gives him a negative WAR total for the second straight year.
With all of that said, it was still tempting to go with Javier Báez here, who has been wildly disappointing in the first season of a six-year, $140 million deal, hitting .223/.266/.361 for an 81 OPS+ in 115 games.
Also considered: SS Javier Báez ($20 million), LHP Eduardo Rodríguez ($14 million), C Tucker Barnhart ($7.8 million)
Houston Astros: 1B Yuli Gurriel
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2022 Salary: $8 million (4.4% of 2022 payroll)
A year removed from hitting .319/.383/.462 and winning the AL batting title, Yuli Gurriel has been the weak spot in an otherwise stacked Houston Astros lineup, aside from light-hitting catcher Martin Maldonado.
The 38-year-old is hitting .240/.291/.365 for an 88 OPS+, and both his walk rate (-4.1%) and strikeout rate (+1.8%) have moved in the wrong direction. Those struggles played a role in the team's decision to trade for Trey Mancini at the deadline, though he has played more left field after Michael Brantley landed on the injured list.
A rehabbing Lance McCullers Jr. was also a viable candidate here, but he has pitched well in three starts since returning to the mound last month, and unlike Gurriel he has not been a negative-WAR player.
Also considered: RHP Lance McCullers Jr. ($15.8 million), RHP Pedro Báez ($5.5 million)
Kansas City Royals: 1B Carlos Santana
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2022 Salary: $9 million (9.7% of 2022 payroll)
With top prospects Vinnie Pasquantino and Nick Pratto knocking on the door, the Kansas City Royals traded Carlos Santana to the Seattle Mariners on June 27, absorbing the remainder of his $9 million salary in the process.
The 36-year-old was hitting .216/.349/.341 in 212 plate appearances at the time of the trade, and he finished with an 85 OPS+ and 0.5 WAR over the course of a two-year, $17.5 million deal in Kansas City.
Unlike the Franmil Reyes situation in Chicago, Santana has continued to struggle with the Mariners, hitting .176 with an 88 OPS+ in 186 plate appearances.
Also considered: RHP Zack Greinke ($13 million)
Los Angeles Angels: 3B Anthony Rendon
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2022 Salary: $36.6 million (20.3% of 2022 payroll)
The Los Angeles Angels have No. 2 (Mike Trout, $37.1 million) and No. 3 (Anthony Rendon, $36.6 million) on the list of highest-paid players in 2022, and while Trout has been his usual highly productive self when healthy, Rendon continues to disappoint.
In the third season of a seven-year, $245 million deal, Rendon has played a grand total of 155 games in an Angels uniform, and he won't be adding to that total this year as he underwent season-ending wrist surgery in June.
The 32-year-old was hitting .228/.324/.383 for a 100 OPS+ with 0.9 WAR in 45 games this season before he shut things down, and his deal is quickly shaping up to be one of the worst in recent history.
Also considered: CF Mike Trout ($37.1 million), RHP Michael Lorenzen ($6.8 million)
Los Angeles Dodgers: CF Cody Bellinger
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2022 Salary: $17 million (6.4% of 2022 payroll)
With Justin Turner (89 PA, .868 OPS) and Max Muncy (154 PA, .761 OPS, 7 HR, 21 RBI) both putting up better numbers at the plate since the All-Star break, the choice here has to be Cody Bellinger.
The 2019 NL MVP has seen his production crater in the years since, and while he has rebounded a bit from the disastrous 44 OPS+ he produced a year ago, he's still hitting just .204/.261/.392 for a 77 OPS+ with a 27.0 percent strikeout rate.
The 27-year-old has one year of arbitration eligibility remaining, but he could be a non-tender casualty this offseason if the Dodgers don't want to offer up a salary close to $20 million.
Dishonorable Mentions: 3B Justin Turner ($20 million), LHP David Price ($16 million), IF Max Muncy ($13 million), LHP Andrew Heaney ($8.5 million)
Miami Marlins: RF Avisaíl García
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2022 Salary: $12 million (14.4% of 2022 payroll)
The Miami Marlins gave Avisaíl García a four-year, $48 million contract during the offseason that includes a $12 million club option and $5 million buyout in 2026, and the hope was that he could help spark a lackluster offense alongside fellow offseason additions Jorge Soler and Joe Wendle.
After posting a 119 OPS+ with career-highs in home runs (29) and RBI (86) with the Milwaukee Brewers last season, he looked like a nice under-the-radar pickup, but instead he has been one of the least productive players on the roster.
The 31-year-old is hitting .232/.269/.322 with a 27.8 percent strikeout rate and minus-0.7 WAR in 88 games,
Also considered: DH Jorge Soler ($12 million)
Milwaukee Brewers: CF Lorenzo Cain
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2022 Salary: $18 million (13.9% of 2022 payroll)
The five-year, $80 million deal the Milwaukee Brewers gave Lorenzo Cain prior to the 2018 season stands as the largest free-agent signing in franchise history.
He was a 6.9-WAR player in his first season in Milwaukee, but he tallied just 4.8 WAR over the final four years of the deal before he was released on June 21 to open up more playing time for Tyrone Taylor.
The 36-year-old was the second-highest-paid player on the roster this season behind Christian Yelich, but he hit just .179/.231/.234 with six extra-base hits in 156 plate appearances before he was released.
Also considered: OF Christian Yelich ($22 million), DH Andrew McCutchen ($8.5 million)
Minnesota Twins: DH Miguel Sanó
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2022 Salary: $9.3 million (6.4% of 2022 payroll)
Miguel Sanó has some of the best raw power in baseball, but he has also posted prolific strikeout numbers throughout his career with a 36.4 percent strikeout rate over 2,859 plate appearances.
Those swing-and-miss struggles reached a new level this season when he went 5-for-54 with 21 strikeouts in his first 17 games before landing on the injured list with a knee injury. He missed 75 games, returned for three games in July, and re-aggravated the injury before undergoing season-ending surgery.
The Twins have a $14.3 million club option on Sanó for 2023, and opting instead for a $2.8 million buyout should be a no-brainer.
Also considered: C Gary Sánchez ($9 million)
New York Mets: 3B Eduardo Escobar
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2022 Salary: $10 million (3.8% of 2022 payroll)
Offseason free-agent signings Max Scherzer, Starling Marte and Mark Canha have all produced up to expectations for the New York Mets, but the same can't be said for 2021 All-Star Eduardo Escobar.
The 33-year-old signed a two-year, $19.5 million deal that includes a $9 million club option and $500,000 buyout in 2024 after a 28-homer, 90-RBI season in 2021.
He is hitting just .216/.267/.380 for an 83 OPS+ in 423 plate appearances and has been a minus-0.4 WAR player in his Mets debut.
Also considered: C James McCann ($8.2 million), RHP Trevor May ($7.8 million)
New York Yankees: LHP Aroldis Chapman
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2022 Salary: $18 million (7.1% of 2022 payroll)
With a .222 average and 98 OPS+ while pulling down a $23 million salary, third baseman Josh Donaldson was a strong candidate for this list. So was injured reliever Zack Britton, who has earned $14 million while watching from the sidelines.
However, the struggles of Aroldis Chapman are impossible to ignore.
The former All-Star closer has a 4.70 ERA and 1.44 WHIP with an unsightly 6.5 BB/9 and a career-low 10.3 K/9. He's lost a few miles-per-hour off his once-elite fastball, and his ineffectiveness has relegated him to middle-relief work when he hasn't been on the injured list.
Also considered: 3B Josh Donaldson ($23 million), LHP Zack Britton ($14 million), CF Aaron Hicks ($10.8 million)
Oakland Athletics: OF Stephen Piscotty
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2022 Salary: $7.6 million (15.8% of 2022 payroll)
The fact that a $7.6 million salary accounts for more than 15 percent of the entire payroll is a problem in itself, but Stephen Piscotty gave the Oakland Athletics virtually nothing in terms of production before he was released on Aug. 16.
In the final season of a six-year, $33.5 million deal that he originally signed with the St. Louis Cardinals, Piscotty hit .190/.252/.341 for a 73 OPS+ in 139 plate appearances, which coupled with his defensive shortcomings made him a minus-0.8 WAR player in just 42 games.
With Piscotty and Elvis Andrus both released and Frankie Montas traded, the highest salary on Oakland's active roster right now is Chad Pinder, who is earning $2.8 million.
Also considered: SS Elvis Andrus ($7 million)
Philadelphia Phillies: SS Didi Gregorius
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2022 Salary: $15.3 million (6.3% of 2022 payroll)
After an injury-plagued walk year with the New York Yankees in 2019, Didi Gregorius signed a one-year, $14 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies and went on to post a 120 OPS+ and 1.2 WAR while playing in all 60 games during the shortened 2020 season.
That earned him a new two-year, $28 million deal from the Phillies, but he hit just .210/.267/.345 with a 67 OPS+ and minus-1.4 WAR over the life of that deal before he was released on Aug. 4.
The 32-year-old will likely have to settle for a minor league deal this offseason.
Also considered: RF Nick Castellanos ($20 million)
Pittsburgh Pirates: C Roberto Perez
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2022 Salary: $5 million (7.6% of 2022 payroll)
The logic behind signing former Gold Glove winner Roberto Perez to help anchor a young pitching staff was sound, and it's an approach the Pittsburgh Pirates should take again this offseason while targeting someone like Tucker Barnhart or Austin Hedges.
It just didn't work out with Perez.
The 33-year-old was moderately productive through 21 games, posting a 98 OPS+ with two home runs and 0.5 WAR before a hamstring injury in early May sent him to the injured list and eventually led to season-ending surgery.
Also considered: DH Yoshi Tsutsugo ($4 million)
San Diego Padres: RF Wil Myers
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2022 Salary: $22.5 million (10.3% of 2022 payroll)
Since Fernando Tatis Jr. is not getting paid while he's suspended and he's earning just $5.7 million this season before his salary steadily increases in the coming years, he's not as obvious a candidate for this list as it might seem.
Instead, the easy answer is Wil Myers, who is in the final season of a six-year, $82 million deal before his $20 million club option for 2023 will almost certainly be bought out for $1 million.
With a 91 OPS+ and 0.4 WAR in 54 games, he has essentially been a non-factor, despite being the second-highest-paid player on the team behind Manny Machado ($32 million).
Also considered: 1B Eric Hosmer ($20.8 million), LHP Drew Pomeranz ($10 million), SS Fernando Tatis Jr. ($5.7 million)
San Francisco Giants: 1B Brandon Belt
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2022 Salary: $18.4 million (11.8% of 2022 payroll)
Longtime San Francisco Giants first baseman Brandon Belt had the best offensive season of his career last year, posting a 160 OPS+ while launching a career-high 29 home runs in just 97 games.
The Giants extended him a qualifying offer last winter and he accepted, returning to the team on a one-year, $18.4 million deal that made him the second-highest-paid player on the roster behind Carlos Rodon ($21.5 million).
The oft-injured Belt has missed significant time again this year, but he's also been far less productive when healthy, hitting .213/.326/.350 with 0.5 WAR in 78 games. Now, he'll have season-ending knee surgery.
Will his Giants tenure come to an end this offseason?
Also considered: 3B Evan Longoria ($14.5 million), RHP Anthony DeSclafani ($12 million)
Seattle Mariners: 2B Adam Frazier
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2022 Salary: $8 million (7.0% of 2022 payroll)
Third baseman Eugenio Suárez looked like a lock for this spot after his $11.3 million contract was included as a salary dump in the Jesse Winker trade with the Cincinnati Reds, but he has a 129 OPS+ with 25 home runs and 4.0 WAR and has been an instrumental part of Seattle's success.
In truth, there is no obvious answer here, but 2021 All-Star Adam Frazier has been a letdown as the team's primary second baseman.
The 30-year-old was acquired from the San Diego Padres during the offseason, and while he has been a positive-WAR player, he's hitting just .244/.309/.319 for an 86 OPS+ in 509 plate appearances.
Also considered: RHP Ken Giles ($5.3 million)
St. Louis Cardinals: C Yadier Molina
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2022 Salary: $10 million (6.2% of 2022 payroll)
It's time for Yadier Molina to hang it up.
One of the best catchers in baseball history and a likely future Hall of Famer, Molina has been in decline offensively for several years now, but things have bottomed out this season as he's hitting .200/.219/.254 with just seven extra-base hits in 210 plate appearances.
His 37 OPS+ ranks 321st among 322 players with at least 200 plate appearances, and even with his strong defensive skills, he has been a minus-0.2 WAR player.
Also considered: LHP Steven Matz ($8.5 million)
Tampa Bay Rays: CF Kevin Kiermaier
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2022 Salary: $12.2 million (13.4% of 2022 payroll)
Defensive standout Kevin Kiermaier is the highest-paid player on the Tampa Bay Rays roster this season as he plays out the final guaranteed season of a six-year contract. His $13 million club option for 2023 carries a $2.5 million buyout that the tight-pursed front office will likely exercise.
The 32-year-old remains one of the game's best defensive center fielders when healthy, but he has been sidelined since July 9 after undergoing hip surgery, and he was hitting .228 with a .281 on-base percentage in 221 plate appearances prior to the injury.
It looks like the Rays may have found his replacement in Jose Siri.
Also considered: C Mike Zunino ($7 million), RHP Tyler Glasnow ($5.1 million)
Texas Rangers: RHP Jon Gray
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2022 Salary: $15 million (10.2% of 2022 payroll)
The Texas Rangers are an interesting team from a payroll standpoint.
Offseason signings Corey Seager and Marcus Semien account for a staggering 39.5 percent of the club's payroll in 2022, and while both players got off to a slow start this year, they have rebounded to post a combined 7.7 WAR.
The only other player on the roster making more than $10 million is right-hander Jon Gray, and while he has a solid 3.83 ERA and 1.17 WHIP, injuries have limited him to 19 starts and 103.1 innings. The 6'4" right-hander was signed to be a workhorse atop the rotation, and he has not delivered on that in the first season of a four-year, $56 million deal.
Also considered: IF/OF Brad Miller ($6 million)
Toronto Blue Jays: LHP Hyun Jin Ryu
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2022 Salary: $20 million (11.5% of 2022 payroll)
On paper, the Toronto Blue Jays appeared to have one of the deepest starting rotations in baseball when the season began.
However, left-hander Hyun Jin Ryu made just six starts before landing on the injured list and ultimately undergoing Tommy John surgery, and Yusei Kikuchi struggled to an ERA over 5.00 before he was demoted to the bullpen.
With a $20 million price tag, Ryu qualifies as the bigger disappointment, and he'll look to return strong in the final season of his four-year, $80 million deal.
Also considered: LHP Yusei Kikuchi ($16 million)
Washington Nationals: LHP Patrick Corbin
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2022 Salary: $23.4 million (19.1% of 2022 payroll)
Stephen Strasburg has thrown a grand total of 4.2 innings this season while raking in $23.6 million, yet he's still not the worst bang-for-your-buck player on the Washington Nationals roster.
Left-hander Patrick Corbin is by all accounts the worst pitcher in baseball.
Among the 72 pitchers who have thrown at least 120 innings this year, he ranks dead last in WAR (-2.4), ERA (6.56) and WHIP (1.76), and he's three losses away from becoming the first 20-game loser since Mike Maroth in 2003.
The Nationals still owe him another $49.4 million in 2023 and 2024 before he reaches free agency.
Also considered: RHP Stephen Strasburg ($23.6 million), DH Nelson Cruz ($12 million), RHP Will Harris ($8 million)
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