The Worst Contract on the Books for Every MLB Team in 2024
Most MLB teams have at least a few contracts they would love to shed from their books, as injuries, decline in production and ill-advised spending in the first place can all hamstring a team's spending abilities.
With the 2023 MLB postseason in full swing and the offseason fast approaching, let's take a look ahead to the worst contract on the books for each team in 2024.
Only players with guaranteed contracts are up for consideration, since arbitration-eligible players can simply be non-tendered with no further financial commitment. Retired players still on the books by way of deferred money from their playing days were eligible to be included.
How would your favorite team use a payroll mulligan in 2024?
Arizona Diamondbacks: LHP Madison Bumgarner
1 of 30
2024 Salary: $14 million
It looked like a mistake from the start when the Arizona Diamondbacks signed an already declining Madison Bumgarner to a five-year, $85 million deal prior to his age-30 season in 2020.
The left-hander struggled to a 4.98 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 346.2 innings over the first three years of that contract and had a 10.26 ERA through his first four starts in 2023 before he was released on April 26.
The D-backs are still on the hook for the final year of his contract, which checks in at $14 million and currently makes him the highest-paid player on the roster for next season.
Atlanta Braves: C Travis d'Arnaud
2 of 30
2024 Salary: $8 million
A Silver Slugger winner in 2020 and an All-Star in 2022, Travis d'Arnaud has enjoyed a productive run with the Atlanta Braves, tallying 4.1 WAR in 285 games across four seasons. The addition of Sean Murphy made him a high-priced backup, but that didn't stop the team from signing him to a one-year, $8 million extension for the 2024 season in July.
"He's really the glue for us, in my mind," team president Alex Anthopoulos told reporters. "He's just so key. Obviously on the field, he's fantastic. What he does behind the plate is fantastic. But it's everything he brings. I just can't say enough about him as a person. It was a no-brainer to keep him here."
That now looks like an overpay after he hit just .177/.226/.302 in 146 plate appearances during the second half, but it's one the Atlanta office was clearly comfortable making.
Baltimore Orioles: 1B Chris Davis
3 of 30
2024 Salary: $9.2 million (deferred money)
The Orioles will still be paying slugger Chris Davis through the 2037 season after they deferred $42 million of the seven-year, $161 million deal that he signed prior to the 2016 campaign.
They also came to an agreement to defer $17 million of his 2022 salary over three years when he decided to retire.
That means in 2024 they will owe him $3.5 million as part of the original deferral and another $5.7 million from the deferred 2022 salary, which will likely make him one of the highest-paid players on a team coming off a division title.
Boston Red Sox: LHP Chris Sale
4 of 30
2024 Salary: $27.5 million
After pitching a combined 48.1 innings during the 2020, 2021 and 2022 seasons, Chris Sale stayed healthy enough to make 20 starts in 2023, posting a 4.30 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 125 strikeouts in 102.2 innings.
The 34-year-old can still miss bats when things are clicking, but counting on him to be a full-fledged member of the starting rotation for an entire season has become a risky proposition. Despite those durability concerns, he is still being paid like one of the best pitchers in baseball entering the final guaranteed season of a five-year, $145 million extension.
His $27.5 million salary for 2024 currently makes him the eighth-highest-paid starting pitcher in baseball.
Chicago Cubs: 1B Trey Mancini
5 of 30
2024 Salary: $7 million
The Chicago Cubs will have a bit more financial wiggle room after shedding Jason Heyward's $22 million dead money figure from the books, but they will once again be paying a player a nice chunk of change to no longer be part of the team.
Veteran Trey Mancini signed a two-year, $14 million deal last offseason, but didn't even make it through the first season of that contract, hitting .234/.299/.336 for a 71 OPS+ with four home runs, 28 RBI and minus-1.4 WAR in 79 games before he was released on Aug. 2.
The 31-year-old will earn another $7 million in 2024 while he tries to find another MLB opportunity elsewhere.
Chicago White Sox: 3B Yoán Moncada
6 of 30
2024 Salary: $24.8 million
One of the most hyped international prospects of all-time, Yoán Moncada was given a $31.5 million signing bonus by the Boston Red Sox in the days before international bonus pool restrictions, and the team also paid a matching tax penalty.
He was traded to the Chicago White Sox in the Chris Sale blockbuster and looked like a star on the rise during the 2019 season when he hit .315/.367/.548 with 25 home runs in a 5.2-WAR season.
The White Sox gave him a back loaded, five-year, $70 million extension prior to the 2020 season, but he has posted a lackluster 98 OPS+ and 6.0 WAR over the first four seasons of that deal. The final year of the contract in 2024 accounts for more than 35 percent of the total value of the deal.
Cincinnati Reds: OF Ken Griffey Jr.
7 of 30
2024 Salary: $3.6 million (deferred money)
The only active player on the books for the Cincinnati Reds in 2024 is Hunter Greene, who will earn $3.3 million. They also hold a $20 million club option on Joey Votto and a $2.5 million mutual option on Curt Casali, both of which are likely to be declined.
However, they will also be making one final payment to Ken Griffey Jr. on $57.5 million that was deferred from the nine-year, $119.5 million deal he signed with the Reds prior to the 2000 season.
He has been receiving annual installments since 2009 on a 16-year deferral, and he will finally come off the books after the 2024 season.
Cleveland Guardians: IF Jean Segura
8 of 30
2024 Salary: $8.5 million
Jean Segura never spent a second in the Cleveland clubhouse, yet the team will still be paying him $8.5 million during the 2024 season.
The veteran infielder was acquired from the Miami Marlins at the trade deadline in a swap of underperforming contract that sent Josh Bell the other way, but he was released immediately following the trade.
The 33-year-old signed a two-year, $17 million deal with the Marlins last offseason to serve as the team's starting third baseman, but he hit just .219/.277/.279 for a 52 OPS+ in 326 plate appearances before he was traded.
Colorado Rockies: OF Kris Bryant
9 of 30
2024 Salary: $28 million
The seven-year, $182 million deal that Kris Bryant signed with the Colorado Rockies prior to the 2021 season is rapidly shaping up to be one of the worst contracts in MLB history.
Injuries have limited him to 122 games over his first two seasons with the team, and while he was at least productive when healthy in 2022, he hit a middling .233/.313/.367 for a 76 OPS+ with 10 home runs, 36 RBI and minus-1.0 WAR in 80 games this year.
The Rockies are still on the hook for $136 million over the next five years, and that's a steep price to pay one player for a team that is miles from contention.
Detroit Tigers: SS Javier Báez
10 of 30
2024 Salary: $25 million
Javier Báez has always been a free-swinger at the plate, but at his peak he made up for his strikeout rate with elite defense and a solid mix of power, speed and base-running that helped make him a 6-WAR player in back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019.
The Tigers signed him to a six-year, $140 million deal to be a cornerstone piece of their rebuilding efforts, but instead he has essentially been a non-factor. He hit .222/.267/.325 for a 62 OPS+ over 547 plate appearances in a 0.7-WAR season this year.
"I think Javy is at his lowest that he's been, certainly as a Tiger, but just generally in his career," manager A.J. Hinch told reporters, though the team is committed to getting him back on track for the 2024 season and the final four years of his contract.
Houston Astros: 1B José Abreu
11 of 30
2024 Salary: $19.5 million
With José Altuve and Alex Bregman headed for free agency after the 2024 season and arbitration-eligible stars Kyle Tucker and Framber Valdez set to hit the open market for the first time after the 2025 campaign, the Astros have some big financial decisions on the horizon.
That makes the decision to ink an aging José Abreu to a three-year, $58.5 million deal last offseason a potential financial hindrance.
The 36-year-old hit .237/.296/.383 for an 87 OPS+ with 18 home runs and 90 RBI in his first season in Houston, tallying minus-0.1 WAR in 141 games. At this point in his career, expecting a significant bounce back over the final two seasons might be wishful thinking.
Kansas City Royals: 3B/OF Hunter Dozier
12 of 30
2024 Salary: $9 million
Hunter Dozier posted a 124 OPS+ with 65 extra-base hits, 26 home runs, 84 RBI and 2.8 WAR during the 2019 season, and he parlayed that performance into a four-year, $25 million extension that began in 2021.
He ended up playing 301 total games over the life of that deal, hitting .222/.286/.384 while logging a dismal minus-3.8 WAR before he was released this past May.
The 32-year-old is still owed $9 million in the final year of that contract in 2024, and he also has a $1 million buyout on a $10 million team option for 2025 that will have to be paid out.
Los Angeles Angels: 3B Anthony Rendon
13 of 30
2024 Salary: $38.6 million
Anthony Rendon might end up being the worst free-agent signing in MLB history.
The 33-year-old has played 200 total games over the first four seasons of a seven-year, $245 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels, and with a 109 OPS+ and 3.1 WAR during that time he has been a slightly above-average performer even when he has managed to take the field.
Only Max Scherzer ($43.3 million), Justin Verlander ($43.3 million), Aaron Judge ($40 million) and Jacob deGrom ($40 million) are currently set to make more than him during the 2024 season.
Los Angeles Dodgers: SS Miguel Rojas
14 of 30
2024 Salary: $5 million
With six club option decisions and 11 arbitration-eligible players, the Dodgers actually only have six players currently on the books for the 2024 season—Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Chris Taylor, Miguel Rojas, Tony Gonsolin and Austin Barnes.
With 1.3 WAR in 124 games, Rojas was a solid bench piece, and for a player with his defensive prowess up the middle a $5 million salary is not far off what he would likely command on the open market.
Still, his lack of offensive production is part of the reason the Dodgers tried out Betts at shortstop and traded for Amed Rosario at the deadline, so he is an easy pick for the worst salary on the books in 2024.
Miami Marlins: OF Avisaíl García
15 of 30
2024 Payroll: $12 million
The Marlins opened their wallets a bit wider than usual when they signed Avisaíl García (four years, $53 million) and Jorge Soler (three years, $40 million) prior to the 2022 season in an effort to bolster a lackluster offense.
After both players flopped in their first season with the team, Soler bounced back with an All-Star performance this season, but García continued to struggle.
The 32-year-old has hit just .215/.260/.316 in 498 plate appearances in a Marlins uniform, and injuries limited him to only 37 games in 2023.
Milwaukee Brewers: OF Christian Yelich
16 of 30
2024 Salary: $26 million
Christian Yelich just had his best season since he finished runner-up in NL MVP voting in 2019, posting a 124 OPS+ with 54 extra-base hits, 28 steals, 106 runs scored and 3.6 WAR in 144 games.
However, in the middle of a nine-year, $215 million extension, he is still being paid like an MVP candidate and living up to that salary is going to be difficult.
His $26 million salary accounted for a whopping 17.6 percent of the team's payroll during the 2023 season, and trying to navigate that figure is not going to make it any easier to try to extend Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff and Willy Adames as all three players are a year removed from free agency.
Minnesota Twins: C Christian Vázquez
17 of 30
2024 Salary: $10 million
The jury is still out on the six-year, $200 million contract that Carlos Correa signed during the offseason, but he has quickly shown in October how valuable he can be to the Twins when he is healthy and locked in.
Instead, veteran catcher Christian Vázquez is the pick for Minnesota.
The 33-year-old was one of the top catchers on the market last offseason and the Twins signed him to a three-year, $30 million deal in December. With a 65 OPS+ and minus-0.3 WAR in his first season with the team, he did little to stabilize the position.
Meanwhile, an offensive breakout from Ryan Jeffers (134 OPS+, 14 HR, 43 RBI) means Vázquez could end up being an expensive backup over the final two years and $20 million of his contract.
New York Mets: SPs Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander
18 of 30
2024 Salary: $41.6 million combined
The Mets cut their losses at the trade deadline and flipped high-priced veteran starters Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander while absorbing a significant percentage of their remaining salaries as a means of bringing back a quality prospect return.
The two future Hall of Famers have matching $43.3 million salaries for the upcoming season, and the Mets are on the hook for roughly $20.8 million for each player in 2024, along with another $17.5 million for Verlander in 2025.
Steve Cohen is one of the few owners who can afford to have that large of a dead money figure on the books and still be an active participant in free agency, but it is still a less-than-ideal way to spend $41.6 million.
New York Yankees: LHP Carlos Rodón
19 of 30
2024 Salary: $27.8 million
Giving an oft-injured Carlos Rodón a six-year, $162 million contract looked like a mistake from the start by the New York Yankees, and his first season wearing pinstripes was forgettable at best.
The 30-year-old did not make his 2023 debut until July 7 after battling a forearm strain throughout the first half of the season, and he struggled to a 6.85 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in 64.1 innings over 14 starts once he finally returned to the mound.
In his final start of the season on Sept. 29, he allowed six hits, two walks and eight earned runs without recording a single out, and that makes for an inauspicious segue into the offseason.
Oakland Athletics: IF Aledmys Díaz
20 of 30
2024 Salary: $8 million
Utility infielder Aledmys Díaz is the only contract on the books for the Oakland Athletics looking ahead to the 2024 season.
The 33-year-old signed a two-year, $14.5 million last offseason after a solid four-year run with the Houston Astros, but he had the worst season of his career in 2023 while steadily losing playing time to some of the club's young middle infielders.
He hit .229/.280/.337 for a 76 OPS+ with 25 extra-base hits in 344 plate appearances, finishing with minus-0.9 WAR in 109 games.
Philadelphia Phillies: OF Kyle Schwarber
21 of 30
2024 Salary: $20 million
Kyle Schwarber just had perhaps the worst 40-homer season in MLB history.
His 47 long balls were accompanied by a .197 batting average, 212 strikeouts, horrible defensive metrics (-21 DRS, -16.0 UZR/150) and only 0.7 WAR in 160 games, but thanks to a solid .343 on-base percentage he still logged a 122 OPS+ and was undeniably an asset offensively.
Is he worth $20 million?
Ideally, the Phillies would be able to use Nick Castellanos and Bryce Harper in the designated hitter spot once or twice a week, but Schwarber's defensive shortcomings mean the team's best alignment is for him to occupy that spot on an everyday basis.
Pittsburgh Pirates: None
22 of 30
The only players under contract for the 2024 season for the Pittsburgh Pirates are Bryan Reynolds ($10.3 million) and Ke'Bryan Hayes ($7 million), and they were arguably the two best players on the team this past season.
Reynolds is entering the second season of an eight-year, $106.8 million extension, and even at its peak that deal will only pay him $15.25 million annually over the final four years.
Hayes signed an eight-year, $70 million deal prior to the 2022 season, and he was a 4-WAR player for the second year in a row while posting a 105 OPS+ with 31 doubles, 15 home runs, 61 RBI and his usual standout defense at third base.
San Diego Padres: RHP Robert Suarez
23 of 30
2024 Salary: $10 million
After six years in the Japanese League—including a 2021 season where he logged a 1.16 ERA 0.77 WHIP and 42 saves in 62 appearances—Robert Suarez signed a one-year, $5 million deal with the San Diego Padres for the 2022 season.
He had a 2.27 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 11.5 K/9 with 11 holds in 45 appearances as a 31-year-old rookie in 2022, and after he declined a player option, the Padres inked him to a new five-year, $46 million contract.
His 2023 season began with injury issues as he battled arm stiffness and shoulder inflammation, and he ended up finishing with a 4.23 ERA in 26 appearances. The most alarming stat was his strikeout rate dropping from 31.9 to 22.2 percent, and the Padres will be counting on him to bounce back with Josh Hader poised to depart in free agency.
San Francisco Giants: OF Mitch Haniger
24 of 30
2024 Salary: $20 million
After missing out on signing Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa in their pursuit of an impact middle-of-the-order slugger, the Giants settled for signing outfielders Mitch Haniger and Michael Conforto.
Despite his injury issues, Haniger still managed to land a two-year, $28 million contract. He earned $8 million in 2022, and hit only .209/.266/.365 for a 73 OPS+ with minus-0.3 WAR in 61 games.
Now his salary spikes to $20 million in the second year of his back loaded contract, and he will need to find the form he showed in 2021 when he posted a 122 OPS+ with 39 home runs and 100 RBI with the Seattle Mariners in order to live up to that figure.
Seattle Mariners: 1B Evan White
25 of 30
2024 Salary: $7 million
A handful of players over the years have signed long-term contracts before making their MLB debuts, and the returns from those players have been a mixed bag.
Evan White represents one of the worst outcomes four years into a six-year, $24 million contract that also includes a trio of club options.
The No. 54 prospect in baseball at the start of the 2020 season, White made his MLB debut as Seattle's everyday first baseman during the pandemic-shortened season when he won AL Gold Glove honors. He has played just 30 games at the MLB level since that season, battling injury and losing his job to Ty France.
St. Louis Cardinals: RHP Miles Mikolas
26 of 30
2024 Salary: $17.7 million
The Cardinals have six players under contract for the 2024 season—Nolan Arenado, Paul Goldschmidt, Willson Contreras, Miles Mikolas, Steven Matz and Giovanny Gallegos.
Matz would have been an easy choice for this list following the 2022 season, but he rebounded this year with a 3.86 ERA in 105 innings and a $12.5 million salary for next season is not unreasonable.
That leaves Mikolas as the logical choice after he struggled to a 4.78 ERA and 1.32 WHIP, though he did reach 200 innings for the third time since returning stateside in 2018. The 35-year-old is owed $35.4 million over the next two years to close out a three-year, $55.9 million deal.
Tampa Bay Rays: OF Manuel Margot
27 of 30
2024 Salary: $10 million
With a $7 million salary in 2023, Manuel Margot was the second-highest-paid player on the Tampa Bay roster this year behind only Zach Eflin ($11 million), and his salary jumps to $10 million next year.
The 29-year-old hit .264/.310/.376 for a 91 OPS+ with 0.6 WAR in 99 games, and the emergence of Josh Lowe pushed him into more of a fourth outfielder role, with Randy Arozarena and Jose Siri joining Lowe in the starting lineup.
Given their financial limitations, the Rays could look to package Margot with a prospect this offseason to shed his salary from their tight payroll.
Texas Rangers: RHP Jacob deGrom
28 of 30
2024 Salary: $40 million
The last time Jacob deGrom topped 100 innings pitched in a season was 2019 when he won his second straight NL Cy Young.
Shoulder issues limited him to 11 starts and 64.1 innings in an opt-out year in 2022, and he ended up landing with the Texas Rangers on a five-year, $185 million deal.
The 35-year-old made six starts for the Rangers this season before the injury bug bit again, and he was sidelined for the remainder of the season with Tommy John surgery. He is currently eyeing a return to action next August, which means he will spend the bulk of the season on the sidelines as one of the five highest-paid players in baseball.
Toronto Blue Jays: RHP Yimi García
29 of 30
2024 Salary: $6 million
The Blue Jays will pay Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, José Berríos and Yusei Kikuchi a combined $73.7 million next season, but it's hard to call any of them overpaid relative to their 2023 production.
George Springer ($24.2 million) and Bo Bichette ($12.1 million) are also more than capable of living up to their salaries, which leaves reliever Yimi García as the only other player under contract in 2024.
The 33-year-old had a 4.09 ERA and 1.24 WHIP while tallying three saves and 19 holds in 73 appearances.
Washington Nationals: RHP Stephen Strasburg
30 of 30
2024 Salary: $23.6 million
It's not entirely clear what the immediate future holds for Stephen Strasburg.
He was initially set to retire before his retirement press conference was cancelled and the front office walked back those plans. It remains highly unlikely he will ever pitch again as a result of issues stemming from thoracic outlet syndrome.
The Nationals owe him $23.6 million annually through the 2026 season, at which point the $80 million that was deferred from his seven-year, $245 million contract will be paid out in three $26.6 million payments in 2027, 2028 and 2029.
