Every MLB Team's Worst Contract Heading into 2023 Season
Major League Baseball teams should want to spend money on players. That's how they secure the good ones, who tend to be useful for the goal of, you know, winning games.
But since it doesn't always work out, let's take a look at each team's worst contract heading into the 2023 season.
Rounding these up was harder than you might think. There was only a handful of obvious choices—i.e., deals that were always risky and have since gone bad—which left us to pick nits and force less-than-favorable forecasts onto newly signed deals. In any case, the idea was to pinpoint guaranteed or likely mismatches between monetary value and on-field value.
We'll proceed in alphabetical order by city.
Arizona Diamondbacks: LHP Madison Bumgarner
1 of 30
Age: 33
2022 Stats: 30 GS, 158.2 IP, 179 H (25 HR), 112 K, 49 BB, 4.88 ERA
Status: Year 4 of 5-Year, $85 Million Contract
Even in retrospect, it's hard to fault the Arizona Diamondbacks for signing Madison Bumgarner back in Dec. 2019.
They were coming off a solid 85-win season, amid which they had saved about $53 million by trading Zack Greinke and the remainder of his $206.5 million contract to the Houston Astros. Despite his recent injury scares, reinvesting those dollars into a four-time All-Star and bona fide postseason legend like Bumgarner was more than defensible.
Three years in, though, "oof" doesn't even cover it. The lefty's seven-inning no-hitter in 2021 was a nice moment, but there have otherwise been few of those as he's racked up all of 0.3 rWAR in the desert. As he was literally the third-most hittable pitcher of 2022, it's hard to bank on any kind of return to form in 2023.
Atlanta: DH Marcell Ozuna
2 of 30
Age: 32
2022 Stats: 124 G, 507 PA, 23 HR, 2 SB, .226 AVG, .274 OBP, .413 SLG
Status: Year 3 of 4-Year, $65 Million Contract
If anything, it seemed like Atlanta had gotten a good deal on Marcell Ozuna when the club re-signed him in Feb. 2021. The flier they had taken on him ahead of 2020 ended up yielding a 177 OPS+ and National League-high 18 home runs in the shortened season.
Yet the deal obviously has not aged well in more ways than one, including by way of Ozuna's issues away from the field. There was his arrest and subsequent suspension relating to domestic violence in 2021, and then another arrest on DUI charges last August.
Meanwhile, Ozuna hasn't exactly shined on the field in putting up just an 84 OPS+ with batted ball metrics that look nothing like the eye-popping figures he put up in 2020. Though Atlanta is sticking with him, it's reportedly not for lack of having tried to get rid of him.
Baltimore Orioles: RHP Kyle Gibson
3 of 30
Age: 35
2022 Stats: 31 GS, 167.2 IP, 176 H (24 HR), 144 K, 48 BB, 5.05 ERA
Status: Year 1 of 1-Year, $10 Million Contract
Before anyone points out that James McCann (who hasn't even risen to replacement-level over the last two seasons) is on the Orioles' payroll, they're only paying $5 million out of the $24 million remaining on his deal. The rest is on the New York Mets.
We're therefore picking on Kyle Gibson out of a lack of a better option, and with an acknowledgment that $10 million isn't an unreasonable sum for a pitcher like him.
Sure, he's been a below-average hurler to the tune of a 94 ERA+ for his career. But he's proven himself to be good for 30-plus starts and 150-plus innings annually, and his ground-ball style should play better with Baltimore's infield defense than it did in Philadelphia's last season.
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Boston Red Sox: LHP Chris Sale
4 of 30
Age: 33
2022 Stats: 2 GS, 5.2 IP, 5 H (0 HR), 5 K, 1 BB, 3.18 ERA
Status: Year 3 of 5-Year, $145 Million Contract Extension
It was tempting to give the nod here to Trevor Story, whose availability for 2023 is up in the air following his elbow surgery in January. But at least the Red Sox got half of a solid season out of him last year, which is more than they've gotten out of Chris Sale's deal so far.
Even setting aside the 25 disappointing starts he made immediately after signing his extension in March 2019, it's bad enough that a veritable laundry list of injuries has limited the lefty to 11 regular-season appearances since Aug. 13 of that year.
The good news heading into 2023 is that Sale is healthy...for now. And even if that does remain the case, whether the dominance that marked his seven straight All-Star appearances between 2012 and 2018 is gone for good is a fair question at this stage of his career.
Chicago Cubs: RHP Kyle Hendricks
5 of 30
Age: 33
2022 Stats: 16 GS, 84.1 IP, 85 H (15 HR), 66 K, 24 BB, 4.80 ERA
Status: Year 4 of 4-Year, $55.5 Million Contract Extension
The Cubs technically aren't finished making payments on Jason Heyward's 8-year, $184 million deal, but they are finished carrying him on their roster. He's been gone since they released him in November.
This leaves Kyle Hendricks as the lowest-hanging piece of fruit on the Cubs' payroll, which is frankly a bummer. He's mostly been an excellent pitcher on the North Side, including to the tune of a 135 ERA+ in the first two seasons of the extension he signed in March 2019.
Since then, though, "The Professor" only has an 87 ERA+ to show for 48 starts. The last of those on July 5, 2022, after which he was shut down with a shoulder injury from which he's still working his way back. What he's capable of in 2023 is an unknown.
Chicago White Sox: C Yasmani Grandal
6 of 30
Age: 34
2022 Stats: 99 G, 376 PA, 5 HR, 1 SB, .202 AVG, .301 OBP, .269 SLG
Status: Year 4 of 4-Year, $73 Million Contract
As disappointing as Yoán Moncada has been since the White Sox signed him to a $70 million extension in March 2020, he did have a pretty good year in 2021 and he's still only 27 years old besides. The chances of him redeeming his deal remain strong.
Yasmani Grandal, on the other hand, landed in our sights in part because his 2022 season was truly disastrous. He was plagued by a back back throughout and it showed as he posted career worsts with a 64 OPS+ and minus-1.4 rWAR.
Grandal is at an age now where further injury trouble can't be ruled out, and then there's the concern of how he'll fare with the bigger bases and other new speed-friendly changes. In context of his notorious troubles with the running game, probably not well.
Cincinnati Reds: 1B Joey Votto
7 of 30
Age: 39
2022 Stats: 91 G, 376 PA, 11 HR, 0 SB, .205 AVG, .319 OBP, .370 SLG
Contract Status: Year 10 of 10-Year, $225 Million Contract Extension
Though the Reds still owe Mike Moustakas $22 million, the Jason Heyward exception applies. The Reds ensured with his release in January that he can't hurt them on the field anymore.
This may not be the case with Joey Votto, who's fallen on hard times in putting up 4.6 rWAR over the last four seasons. He even landed below replacement-level amid a 2022 season that ended early due to shoulder surgery, for which there's still no timetable for his return.
Votto was, however, more than worth the money as he was putting up a .441 OBP and an average of 5.4 rWAR between 2012 and 2018. And even if it doesn't necessarily manifest on the field, there's value in carrying a living legend who genuinely wants to be there.
Cleveland Guardians: C Mike Zunino
8 of 30
Age: 31
2022 Stats: 36 G, 123 PA, 5 HR, 0 SB, .148 AVG, .195 OBP, .304 SLG
Status: Year 1 of 1-Year, $6 Million Contract
The Guardians are lucky to have a guy like José Ramírez, and luckier still to have him on such a team-friendly contract. Emmanuel Clase and Myles Straw are likewise on team-friendly deals, and Josh Bell was a good get at two years, $33 million.
It is therefore with sincere apologies with Mike Zunino that we say, "Well, someone has to go here."
Given that his production has generally remained closely tethered to replacement-level and that he's coming off thoracic outlet surgery besides, signing him for $6 million was something of a risky bet on Cleveland's part. It'll obviously pay off if he returns to his 33-homer form of 2021. And if it doesn't...well, it's $6 million. No great loss.
Colorado Rockies: LF Kris Bryant
9 of 30
Age: 31
2022 Stats: 42 G, 181 PA, 5 HR, 0 SB, .306 AVG, .376 OBP, .475 SLG
Status: Year 2 of 7-Year, $182 Million Contract
There's no way to quantify this, but it sure feels like front offices have gotten smarter with how they spend money. As a result, big contracts rarely smell bad from the start anymore.
But then there's the megadeal that Kris Bryant signed with the Rockies in March 2022. This was barely a year after the club ate money to trade Nolan Arenado, and it was for a clearly post-prime version of a player who, in a move all too reminiscent of the doomed experiment with Ian Desmond at first base, the Rockies wanted to play one of his lesser positions.
Detroit Tigers: DH Miguel Cabrera
10 of 30
Age: 39
2022 Stats: 112 G, 433 PA, 5 HR, 1 SB, .254 AVG, .304 OBP, .317 SLG
Status: Year 8 of 8-Year, $240 Million Contract Extension
Whereas Javier Báez and Eduardo Rodriguez can still salvage $217 million worth of deals after both got off to rough starts in Detroit last season, Miguel Cabrera's chance to do so has long since passed by.
His contract was thoroughly panned the moment he signed it back in March 2014, and for good reasons. He may have been off back-to-back MVP seasons, but he was already past 30, recovering from a significant surgery and still two years from the end of the deal the Tigers already had him on. Hence the big question: Why?
One can only assume that the Tigers never thought things would get as bad as they have as Cabrera has put up minus-2.1 rWAR over the last six seasons. All they can do now is enjoy one last ride with him as he caps what, to be fair, has been a surefire first-ball Hall of Fame career.
Houston Astros: RHP Lance McCullers Jr.
11 of 30
Age: 29
2022 Stats: 8 GS, 47.2 IP, 37 H (4 HR), 50 K, 22 BB, 2.27 ERA
Status: Year 2 of 5-Year, $85 Million Contract Extension
Lance McCullers Jr. made only 11 starts in his return from Tommy John surgery in 2020, so the Astros did go out on a bit of a limb when they extended him the following March.
McCullers did, to his credit, put forth a season worthy of Cy Young Award votes in 2021, ultimately finishing with a 3.16 ERA and American League-leading marks for hits and home runs per nine innings. It looked then like Houston knew what it was doing after all.
Cut to now, however, and McCullers is once again looking like a decidedly fragile hurler in the wake of a flexor tendon injury that cost him most of 2022 and an elbow strain that cropped up this spring. Not the best omen for the remaining four years on his deal, to say the least.
Kansas City Royals: 3B Hunter Dozier
12 of 30
Age: 31
2022 Stats: 128 G, 500 PA, 12 HR, 4 SB, .236 AVG, .292 OBP, .387 SLG
Status: Year 3 of 4-Year, $25 Million Contract Extension
Hunter Dozier had a breakout year in 2019, putting up a 124 OPS+ with 26 home runs, 29 doubles and 10 triples. Along with 48-homer slugger Jorge Soler, all that made him one of the bigger bright spots on a Royals team that otherwise lost 103 games.
But what followed in 2020 was an immediate step back to mediocrity characterized by a 99 OPS+ and 0.4 rWAR. That the Royals nonetheless extended him the following March would prove to be either a brilliant buy-low maneuver or an unfortunate miscalculation. Time would tell.
Well, time has told. With a total output up minus-3.9 rWAR, Dozier has been the worst everyday player in the majors over the last two seasons. And given that he turned 31 last August, it isn't even possible to play the "he's still young" card anymore.
Los Angeles Angels: 3B Anthony Rendon
13 of 30
Age: 32
2022 Stats: 47 G, 193 PA, 5 HR, 2 SB, .229 AVG, .326 OBP, .380 SLG
Status: Year 4 of 7-Year, $245 Million Contract
The Angels bought high on Anthony Rendon following his heroics during the Washington Nationals' World Series run in 2019, and initially got their money's worth as he put up a par-for-the-course 150 OPS+ in 2020.
Since then, though, Rendon has mostly been neither seen nor heard. He's put up a 97 OPS+ and 0.9 rWAR in just 105 games, missing all the others with a series of health problems such as hip and wrist injuries that both required surgery.
Because Rendon is now fully healthy after not having to spend the offseason rehabbing for the first time in two years, it's unfair to fully close the book on him making a comeback in 2023. But given his age and recent history, such a thing can't be considered likely either.
Los Angeles Dodgers: RHP Blake Treinen
14 of 30
Age: 34
2022 Stats: 5 G, 1 GF, 5.0 IP, 1 H (1 HR), 6 K, 1 BB, 1.80 ERA
Status: Year 3 of 3-Year, $24 Million Contract Extension
How to properly summarize Blake Treinen's contract is tricky, as he's not so much on a three-year deal as a two-year deal for which the Dodgers preemptively exercised a contract option for the 2023 season.
In any case, their decision to do so was...weird, to put it lightly. It happened in May 2022 while he was on the injured list with shoulder discomfort, an injury which had already put his status for the remainder of the year up in the air. The bet, it seemed, was that the sinker-balling relief ace would be fine in time for the following season.
That was always risky, and it's now an obvious misfire in the wake the surgery Treinen had on his shoulder in November. He's likely not going to pitch this season.
Miami Marlins: RF Avisaíl García
15 of 30
Age: 31
2022 Stats: 98 G, 380 PA, 8 HR, 4 SB, .224 AVG, .266 OBP, .317 SLG
Status: Year 2 of 4-Year, $53 Million Contract
What do you do when you're desperate for offense but you don't have the funds for one of the top hitters on the free-agent market? Apparently, you roll the dice on Avisaíl García.
In the Marlins' defense, the veteran was coming off a 119 OPS+ and career-high 29 home runs when they signed him just before the lockout in Dec. 2021. It wasn't totally unreasonable to think that, in lieu of reverting to one of the lesser versions of himself, he could keep being that guy for them in 2022.
That obviously didn't happen, and nothing that was under the hood for García last season portends better results in 2023. It's little wonder that the Marlins reportedly entertained trading him last summer.
Milwaukee Brewers: LF Christian Yelich
16 of 30
Age: 31
2022 Stats: 154 G, 671 PA, 14 HR, 19 SB, .252 AVG, .355 OBP, .383 SLG
Status: Year 4 of 9-Year, $215 Million Contract Extension
It's debatable whether there was ever a good time for the Brewers to extend Christian Yelich, much less when they actually did so in March 2020.
Though Yelich was arguably the best player in baseball across 2018 and 2019—a 171 OPS+, 80 home runs, 52 stolen bases and 14.2 rWAR don't lie—the latter campaign was also marred by back problems and ultimately ended early by way of a broken kneecap. As he was already on a deal that could run through as far as 2022, there was no rush to lock him up.
That the Brewers nonetheless went for it only to end up with a diminished version of Yelich is a drag, plain and simple. And while he does seem to be in a good place going into 2023, it bears noting that it isn't just his results that say his prime is over.
Minnesota Twins: RF Max Kepler
17 of 30
Age: 30
2022 Stats: 115 G, 446 PA, 9 HR, 3 SB, .227 AVG, .318 OBP, .348 SLG
Status: Year 5 of 5-Year, $32.1 Million Contract Extension
The confidence the Twins showed in Byron Buxton in the form of a $100 million extension in Dec. 2021 wasn't fully rewarded in 2022, as he once again had trouble with injuries in playing 92 games. It's nonetheless a tad soon to label that deal as a bad one.
As for Max Kepler, it initially looked like the Twins had indeed done a very good deal after they had extended him at club-friendly rates in Feb. 2019. He broke all the way out that year, posting 36 home runs with 4.0 rWAR.
That Kepler has put up only 5.2 rWAR in three years since then made it hard not to single him out on this list, but even we can grant that he could be better in 2023. He escaped 2022 with some solid metrics, after all, and he at least figures to be a beneficiary of the shift ban.
New York Mets: 3B Eduardo Escobar
18 of 30
Age: 34
2022 Stats: 136 G, 542 PA, 20 HR, 0 SB, .240 AVG, .295 OBP, .430 SLG
Status: Year 2 of 2-Year, $20 Million Contract
Now that James McCann is out of the picture, there really aren't any low-hanging pieces of fruit on the Mets' roster of hired guns for us to pick at. Thanks a lot, guys.
Why rag on Eduardo Escobar? Partly because the Mets signaled with their pursuit of Carlos Correa that they'd prefer to have someone else at third base. And because Escobar is traditionally a low-OBP guy who put up only 1.2 rWAR in 2022, it's hard to fault them for that.
These things being said, however, Escobar is hardly dead weight. It's never a bad thing to have guys who offer occasional power. And because he can also play second base, he need not stand in the way of top prospect Brett Baty if he proves himself worthy of the hot corner.
New York Yankees: LF Aaron Hicks
19 of 30
Age: 33
2022 Stats: 130 G, 453 PA, 8 HR, 10 SB, .216 AVG, .330 OBP, .313 SLG
Status: Year 5 of 7-Year, $70 Million Contract Extension
The Yankees may be stuck with post-prime versions of Giancarlo Stanton and Josh Donaldson, but the former still has dangerous power while the latter is at least capable of playing quality defense at the hot corner.
It's not as easy to dig up compliments for Aaron Hicks at this point. He still has a keen eye for the zone, to be sure, but even that only goes so far when one's power, speed and ability to play the field have diminished as much as Hicks' have since he signed his deal in Feb. 2019.
This, of course, is to say nothing of the injuries that have sidelined Hicks for roughly half of the Yankees' games since then. So unless they miraculously find a taker for him in a trade, his release may well happen before the end of his contract.
Oakland Athletics: INF/OF Aledmys Díaz
20 of 30
Age: 32
2022 Stats: 92 G, 327 PA, 12 HR, 1 SB, .243 AVG, .287 OBP, .403 SLG
Status: Year 1 of 2-Year, $14.5 Million Contract
It feels like a small miracle that the Athletics spent as much as $37 million in free agency this winter, what with them being a notorious penny pincher in the middle of a rebuild and all.
The decision to commit roughly 40 percent of that money to a player like Aledmys Díaz is nonetheless an odd-looking one in hindsight. He's not a starter on a good team, and maybe not even on the A's as they're currently constructed.
Still, this is as far as we can go ragging on a guy who otherwise should be useful this year, regardless of whether he's still with Oakland by the end of it. Because even if he doesn't start, Díaz can still inflate his trade value with versatile defense and, at the least, good hitting against left-handers.
Philadelphia Phillies: RF Nick Castellanos
21 of 30
Age: 30
2022 Stats: 136 G, 558 PA, 13 HR, 7 SB, .263 AVG, .305 OBP, .389 SLG
Status: Year 2 of 5-Year, $100 Million Contract
This perhaps says less about Nick Castellanos and more about how well the Phillies have done with their other big signings. Just over $640 million worth of deals for Bryce Harper, Zack Wheeler, J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber has thus far bought some good stuff.
Still, what Castellanos did in his first season as a Phillie was indeed a letdown. His bat just didn't have much to say for most of the season, to a point where he needed his glove to do the talking in the playoffs.
There is, however, a decent chance that Castellanos' bad year will prove to be a one-off. He may have been playing through a bad wrist, after all, and he's made what should be useful adjustments in the box for 2023.
Pittsburgh Pirates: 1B Carlos Santana
22 of 30
Age: 36
2022 Stats: 131 G, 19 HR, 0 SB, .202 AVG, .316 OBP, .376 SLG
Status: Year 1 of 1-Year, $6.8 Million Contract
The Pirates spent a club-record $70 million to extend Ke'Bryan Hayes last April, but chances are that will prove to be a club-friendly deal. Bryan Reynolds is likewise on an affordable deal for now, while new hurler Rich Hill can easily be worth $8 million even at the age of 43.
We're less certain about fellow veteran Carlos Santana, whose productivity has recently dried up as he's posted an 89 OPS+ and 1.0 rWAR over the last three seasons.
Admittedly, though, he's here as another guy for the "Well, Somebody Has to Go Here" folder. Santana still has a keen eye for the zone, and the Pirates aren't wrong to think that the shift ban will be a boon to his numbers when he bats left-handed.
San Diego Padres: LHP Drew Pomeranz
23 of 30
Age: 34
2022 Stats: Did Not Play
Status: Year 4 of 4-Year, $34 Million Contract
For the Padres, it was tempting to go with what's left of Fernando Tatis Jr.'s massive $340 million extension or a $108 million pact with Yu Darvish that will last through his age-41 season.
But whereas the Padres can at least have high hopes for those guys in 2023, whatever hopes they have for Drew Pomeranz must be more muted. He missed all of last season after tearing his flexor tendon, which was not the first time he had done so.
If Pomeranz can be the guy who put up a sub-2.00 ERA in the first 47 appearances he made under his four-year deal, then great. But after a year and a half spent on the sidelines, that seems like a lot to ask.
San Francisco Giants: RHP Anthony DeSclafani
24 of 30
Age: 32
2022 Stats: 5 GS, 19.0 IP, 34 H (4 HR), 17 K, 4 BB, 6.63 ERA
Status: Year 2 of 3-Year, $36 Million Contract
When looking at the Giants' books, it's frankly hard not to think of the contracts that aren't there. Previous years have seen them make runs at Giancarlo Stanton, Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa, but to no avail.
As for what is on the Giants' books, well, raise your hand if you forgot that Anthony DeSclafani has the biggest contract of any of their pitchers. The veteran righty was barely seen in 2022, making only five outings before having season-ending ankle surgery.
Though DeSclafani is supposedly healthy this spring, he seems ticketed to begin the year working as a long man out of the bullpen. That's presumably not what the Giants envisioned when they signed him in Nov. 2021.
Seattle Mariners: 1B Evan White
25 of 30
Age: 26
2022 Stats (MiLB): 28 G, 107 PA, 7 HR, 0 SB, .204 AVG, .308 OBP, .484 SLG
Status: Year 4 of 6-Year, $24 Million Contract
It would be a tad premature to give this slot to Robbie Ray, who wasn't even that bad (i.e., a 100 ERA+) in the first season of his five-year, $115 million deal with the Mariners.
The book isn't yet closed on Evan White, for that matter, but what's on paper so far isn't flattering. He did win a Gold Glove in 2020, but he's otherwise hit to a well-below-average 52 OPS+ in the majors and struggled with injuries besides. To wit, he was never able to return to The Show after having surgery to repair a sports hernia last March.
Though White is purportedly healthy now, Seattle's plans for 2023 wouldn't seem to include him. He's really only useful at first base, which is where the Mariners need 2022 All-Star Ty France.
St. Louis Cardinals: LHP Steven Matz
26 of 30
Age: 31
2022 Stats: 15 G, 10 GS, 48.0 IP, 50 H (8 HR), 54 K, 10 BB, 5.25 ERA
Status: Year 2 of 4-Year, $44 Million Contract
Steven Matz and the Cardinals seemed like a good match for each other when they linked up in Nov. 2021. A ground-ball pitcher and the league's best infield defense? Yeah, that'll work.
Only, it didn't. Matz was largely ineffective when he did pitch, which unfortunately wasn't as often as the Cardinals hoped thanks to shoulder and knee injuries that sidelined the southpaw for much of the season.
That Matz struck out 5.4 times as many batters as he walked was one silver lining that the Cardinals would surely be happy to experience again in 2023. But unless he can get his exit velocity and hard-hit rate back down, he might still be a problem even in the No. 5 slot in their rotation.
Tampa Bay Rays: OF Manuel Margot
27 of 30
Age: 28
2022 Stats: 89 G, 363 PA, 4 HR, 7 SB, .274 AVG, .325 OBP, .375 SLG
Status: Year 2 of 2-Year, $19 Million Contract Extension
Tyler Glasnow's latest injury made us think about putting him here, but there's a twist in his $30.4 million contract for this year and next: the really big money (i.e., $25 million) doesn't come until 2024.
Manuel Margot was the next-best option, though not for the same shrug-like reasons that apply to some other players on this list. The extension he signed last April really didn't get off to a good start, in no small part thanks to a knee injury that knocked him out for two months.
Lest anyone think that good health is all Margot needs to bounce back in 2023, the injury doesn't fully account for how his speed has steadily been declining since it registered at elite levels in 2016. Without that, how impactful he can be is questionable.
Texas Rangers: RHP Jon Gray
28 of 30
Age: 31
2022 Stats: 24 GS, 127.1 IP, 105 H (17 HR), 134 K, 39 BB, 3.96 ERA
Status: Year 2 of 4-Year, $56 Million Contract
Jacob deGrom could be a proverbial slam dunk for this spot a year from now, but let's at least give the guy one season before, well, dunking on his five-year, $185 million pact with the Rangers.
As for Jon Gray, his own debut with Texas wasn't that bad. He only narrowly missed a league-average ERA+ with a mark of 99, and many of his rate stats took a turn for the better relative to 2021. It's also some comfort that the injury that robbed him of a month's worth of action wasn't arm-related.
Gray's 2022 season was nonetheless a disappointing proof of concept for the idea that he merely needed to escape the Rockies to achieve greater success on the mound. In hindsight, his modest 4.65 ERA away from Coors Field should have been a tip-off to that end.
Toronto Blue Jays: LHP Yusei Kikuchi
29 of 30
Age: 31
2022 Stats: 32 G, 20 GS, 100.2 IP, 93 H (23 HR), 124 K, 58 BB, 5.19 ERA
Status: Year 2 of 3-Year, $36 Million Contract
José Berríos' opening act for his seven-year, $131 million contract extension was indeed less than impressive, but at least the Blue Jays got 172 innings out of it. And at 28, he's too young for assumptions that last year was merely the beginning of the end.
As for Yusei Kikuchi, even a $36 million bet on him carried some risk after he had finished his 2021 season with the Mariners by posting a 5.98 ERA in the second half. It was all too reminiscent of the 5.00-plus ERAs he had posted in 2019 and 2020.
Well, go figure that his ERA once again landed north of 5.00 last season, with a neck strain to add literal injury to insult. So as encouraging as it may be that he's looked genuinely terrific this spring, the Blue Jays shouldn't recalculate their expectations just yet.
Washington Nationals: RHP Stephen Strasburg
30 of 30
Age: 34
2022 Stats: 1 GS, 4.2 IP, 8 H (1 HR), 5 K, 2 BB, 13.50 ERA
Status: Year 4 of 7-Year, $245 Million Contract
The Nationals were clearly still riding the high of Stephen Strasburg's MVP-winning performance in the 2019 World Series as of December of that year. There's just no other way to explain why they signed him to a record-setting contract in the face of so many red flags.
There was no doubting the right-hander's talent, but he also came with an extensive injury history and a fastball that was losing steam. It would have been a risk to sign him for half as much as the Nationals did.
Granted, nobody could have expected Strasburg making just eight appearances in the first three years of his deal. And given how many complications he's run into in his recovery from thoracic outlet surgery, how many more he can make is a depressingly fair question.
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.
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