Every MLB Team's Biggest Liability Under Contract

Major League Baseball salaries keep rising, and many contracts don't work out nearly as well as originally intended. Some players simply underperform and don't seem to be worth the money anymore. Others were never worth the money in the first place, but they were still given monstrous contracts.

I want to to emphasize that not everyone in this slideshow is a terrible player. On the contrary, many are excellent, but they have still been tied to bad contracts. Even the best player of all time could be overpaid.

Please keep that in mind.

All contact information is drawn from Cot’s Baseball Contracts.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Justin Upton

Justin Upton has three years and $38.5 million remaining on his contract.

When he is playing at his best, he is absolutely worth that type of money because he is a five-tool player. However, he struggled last season, hitting .280 with 17 home runs and 67 RBI.

If he is able to turn his numbers around, he could easily work his way off this list. He is definitely  talented enough to be worth that contract.

Atlanta Braves: Dan Uggla

Dan Uggla has three years and $39 million remaining on his contract.

Uggla is one of the rare second basemen who can hit for power, but I don't know if a career .253 hitter  should have been given that type of contract.

In general, power hitters with low averages can be incredibly inconsistent. If the average drops like his did this season, falling to .220, the power numbers can also drop severely. His home-run total fell from a career average of 31 to 19.

Baltimore Orioles: Nick Markakis

Nick Markakis has two years and $30 million remaining on his contract, with a one-year,  $17.5-million club option after that.

Markakis is getting into the big-money years of the contract, but his numbers have not improved along with it. That being said, he is a very capable player who hit .298 with 13 home runs and 54 RBI in only 104 games in a season cut short by injury.

The Baltimore Orioles had a great season and Markakis played an important role. But his play has not met expectations.

Boston Red Sox: John Lackey

John Lackey is owed $31 million over the next two years, and there is a club option for a third year at the major-league minimum.

Lackey missed all of 2012 because of Tommy John surgery. Even when he pitched for the Boston Red Sox in 2010 and 2011, he posted a combined ERA of 5.26.

He should be able to return next season, but he has done little to be worth all of the money that the Boston Red Sox have spent on him.

Chicago Cubs: Alfonso Soriano

Alfonso Soriano will earn $36 million over the next two seasons.

He made a huge step toward turning his career around in 2012, hitting .262 with 32 home runs and 108 RBI. Of course, that is only one step. Most of the rest of his tenure with the Chicago Cubs has been much more disappointing.

Even with his resurgence, he is still overpaid. However, at least he has begun enhancing his value again.

Chicago White Sox: Alexei Ramirez

Alexei Ramirez has three years and $26.5 million remaining on his contract, with a $10 million club option after that.

Ramirez started his career on a high note, but his numbers have been slipping every year. In 2012, he hit .265 with only nine home runs and 73 RBI. He did steal 20 bases, so he did not lose that dimension of his game.

But he needs to rediscover the power that set him apart.

Cincinnati Reds: Jay Bruce

Jay Bruce has four years and $42 million remaining on his contract, with a $13 million club option on him after that.

He has had a great season, hitting .252 with 34 home runs and 99 RBI. However, that relatively low batting average has troubled him in the past and undercut his power production.

Low-average hitters are incredibly vulnerable, making any long-term investment in them a risky proposition.

Cleveland Indians: Travis Hafner

Travis Hafner has a one-year club option left that is worth $13 million. So he technically isn't under a guaranteed contract.

If the Indians decide to exercise the option, though, he needs to return to his earlier numbers. Last season, he only hit .228 with 12 home runs and 34 RBI. Those numbers pale in comparison to his career averages of .278 with 30 homers and 102 RBI.

Granted, he did not play that much, but his performance was still not worth that type of money.

Colorado Rockies: Carlos Gonzalez

Carlos Gonzalez, a fabulous player, has five seasons and $71 million remaining on his contract.

Obviously, he had an excellent all-around season in 2012, hitting .303 with  22 home runs, 85 RBI and 20 stolen bases. However, his contract structure structure worries me.

By the final year of his deal in 2017, he is going to be earning $20 million. That is a large liability. It could be well deserved if he keeps producing, but it is a major risk.

Detroit Tigers: Prince Fielder

Prince Fielder has eight years and $167 million remaining on contract.

During the 2020 season, the final year of his nine-year deal, Fielder is going to be 36 years old. Of course, there are many players who have been productive long beyond that. But as players get older, the liability grows.

After earning $23 million in 2012 and 2013, Fielder will earn $24 million for every season beyond that.

Houston Astros: Chris Snyder

Chris Snyder is the only player on the Houston Astros who has a definite provision for 2013. He has a $4 million mutual option with a $500,000 buyout.

Snyder struggled through 2012, hitting .176 with seven home runs and 24 RBI. I would be willing to wager that his option will not be exercised after next season.

Kansas City Royals: Alex Gordon

Alex Gordon has three years and $31.5 million remaining on his contract, with a $12.5 million club option after that.

Gordon came into his own in 2011 and played well in 2012, hitting .294 with 14 home runs and 74 RBI. Of course, if he continues producing at that level, he will undoubtedly be worth the money the Royals have committed to him.

However, if he regresses and loses his power, that contract could be a problem.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Albert Pujols

Albert Pujols has nine years and $228 million remaining on his contract, the largest in MLB history, and he is one of the best players in the game.

The problem is that he didn't necessarily look like that player in 2012. He had an excellent season for the average player, hitting .285 with 30 home runs and 105 RBI, but it was below his standards.

In the final year of his contract, when Pujols is 41 years old, he will earn $30 million. He will need to incredibly productive that season to ever be worth that astronomical a sum.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Carl Crawford

Carl Crawford, who was traded by the Red Sox to the Dodgers late this season, has five years and $102.5 million remaining on his contract. The Red Sox were largely criticized for signing him to such a big deal.

He spent most of 2012 injured, appearing in only 31 games. Even when he did play a full season for the Red Sox in 2011, he was largely disappointing.

He remains a talented player and could easily return to the form that made him a star with the Tampa Bay Rays. But he needs to do so soon to make his contract anywhere near worthwhile for the Dodgers.

Miami Marlins: Heath Bell

Heath Bell has two years and $18 million remaining on his contract, and could pick up another $9 million if he closes 55 games in 2014.

Bell was supposed to be part of a revitalization in Miami. The Marlins were hoping that he would be able to hammer down the ninth inning just like he had done with the San Diego Padres. But he only managed to save 19 games while posting a 5.09 ERA.

If he doesn't turn it around, his contract will be a large liability for the Marlins.

Milwaukee Brewers: Rickie Weeks

Rickie Weeks has two years and $21 million remaining on his contract, plus a vesting option worth $11.5 million in 2015.

His power production has been relatively consistent, but his batting average keeps dropping. Last season, he hit 21 home runs but only managed to hit .230.

If his average gets much lower, his power numbers will almost definitely drop, which will decrease his value immensely.

Minnesota Twins: Joe Mauer

Joe Mauer, one of the best catchers and hitters in the game, has six years and $138 million remaining on his contract.

In 2012, he hit .319 with 10 home runs and 85 RBI. It was a nice return to form for Mauer who had a difficult 2011.

That being said, catchers tend to break down physically as they get older, and Mauer might need to transition to first base to stay relatively injury-free. But as a first baseman, his value would decline, making his contract seem a bit inflated.

New York Mets: Johan Santana

Johan Santana has one year and $25.5 million remaining on his contract, with a a $25 million club option for 2014.

When Santana signed this deal in 2008, he was among the best players in baseball. However, after missing all of 2011 recovering from shoulder surgery, 2012 was not so hot for Santana.

He went 6-9 with a 4.85 ERA, making it difficult to justify paying him $25.5 million for a record that is under .500 with an elevated ERA.

New York Yankees: Alex Rodriguez

Was there any doubt about this one? Alex Rodriguez has five years and $114 million remaining on his contract.

Over the past few seasons, his numbers have steadily declined, and in 2012, he only managed to hit .272 with 18 home runs and 57 RBI.

Of course, it has only been five years since Rodriguez won his last MVP award, but baseball is about the future. Unless Rodriguez can turn it around, his contract is going to be a major liability for the Yankees for the rest of his career.

Oakland Athletics: Coco Crisp

Coco Crisp is guaranteed $7 million for next season, and the Oakland Athletics hold a club option worth $7.5 million for 2014.

Crisp is a talented player who hit .259 this season with 11 home runs, 46 RBI and 39 stolen bases. Of course, he has excellent speed. But given that, his on-base percentage of .325 this season should have been higher.

The Oakland Athletics' payroll of $55.3 million is the second lowest in the majors. So even if Crisp's guaranteed deal is not that large, it is a little high for them.

Philadelphia Phillies: Ryan Howard

Ryan Howard has four years and $95 million remaining on his contract, with a $23 million option on 2017.

Howard has seen his average drop consistently, from .276 in 2010, to .253 in 2011, to .219 in 2012. Because of games missed to injury, his RBI and home run numbers fell precipitously in 2012, as he had 14 homers and 56 RBI after averaging 44 homers and 136 RBI for his career.

If hits become less frequent, those run-producing opportunities will become less frequent, which would take away Howard's most dangerous weapon.

Pittsburgh Pirates: A.J. Burnett

A.J. Burnett has one year and $16.5 million remaining on his contract.

He had an excellent turnaround season in 2012, going 16-10 with a 3.51 ERA. He also improved his control, lowering his walk totals from 83 in 190.1 innings with the Yankees in 2011 to 62 in 202.1 innings  with the Pirates in 2012.

That being said, his career has  been very up and down. So while he could be worth the money, you have to think the Pirates will be hesitant to give him a similar new deal.

San Diego Padres: Nick Hundley

Nick Hundley has two years and $7 million remaining on his contract, and the San Diego Padres do hold a $5 million option for 2015.

The main problem with this situation is that Hundley only hit .157 last season with three home runs and 22 RBI. On top of that, he has been passed on the organizational depth chart at catcher by Yasmani Grandal.

Having that much money buried on the bench is never helpful for an organization.

San Francisco Giants: Barry Zito

Barry Zito has one year and $20 million remaining on his contact, and the Giants do have an $18 million option on him for the 2014 season.

2012 has been the only season in which Zito has been anywhere near what he was supposed to be when he signed a seven-year, $119 million contract with the Giants. He went 15-8 with a 4.15 ERA, which is a little bit high, but this is still his best season as a Giant.

For $20 million, though, it is not the elite production you would expect.

Seattle Mariners: Chone Figgins

Chone Figgins has one year and $8 million remaining on his contract. There is a vesting option worth $9 million for 2014, which is dependent on him making 600 plate appearances in 2013.

It doesn't look like that option will be exercised, however, because he has only has 308 at-bats in his first three seasons as a Mariner. He has also not managed to break the Mendoza line over the last two seasons, hitting .188 and .181.

It looks like all of this money was invested in Figgins will little return the Seattle Mariners.

St. Louis Cardinals: Yadier Molina

Yadier Molina has five years and $75 million remaining on his contract. There another year worth $15 million tacked on at the end in the form of a mutual option.

Molina is easily one of the most valuable players on the Cardinals, and he put together another great season, hitting .315 with 22 home runs and 76 RBI.

That being said, at the end of his contract, he is going to be 35 years old, and catchers tend to age quickly. He has been incredibly durable so far, but even he can't overcome age.

Tampa Bay Rays: Wade Davis

Wade Davis is owed $7.6 million over the next two seasons, but the following three seasons are club options that can be exercised for a combined total of $25 million.

Davis had struggled in the starting rotation, but he transitioned to the bullpen this season and had quite a bit of success. He appeared in 54 games and posted a 2.43 ERA. Also, he averaged 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings.

Since moving to the bullpen, his value is obviously diminished somewhat, making his contract rather expensive for a pitcher who had been a mediocre starter and had one strong year out of the bullpen.

Texas Rangers: Adrian Beltre

Adrian Beltre has four years and $67 million remaining on his contract. The Rangers can void the $16 million vesting option in 2017 if Beltre fails to have either 1,200 plate appearances in 2014-15 combined, or 600 in 2015.

He has driven in more than 100 runs the past three seasons and been named to the past three All-Star teams. He is a strong hitter and even won a Gold Glove last season.

There's no reason to believe that he is going to slow down. But the Rangers do owe him a lot of money. So if anything goes wrong, his contract could become a liability.

Toronto Blue Jays: Ricky Romero

Ricky Romero will make $22.5 million over the next three seasons, and the Toronto Blue Jays can utilize a $13.1 million club option for 2016.

Romero struggled through 2012 with a 9-14 record and a 5.77 ERA. He also led the American League in walks with 105. That's 5.2 walks per nine innings.

Obviously, numbers like that are not helpful. 2011 was a breakout season for him, as he went 15-11 with a 2.92 ERA. He needs to bounce back to keep his contract from becoming a major liability.

Washington Nationals: Jayson Werth

Jayson Werth has five years and $99 million remaining on his contract.

Last year, he was somewhat disappointing, hitting .232 with 20 home runs and 58 RBI. But he had a pretty decent season in 2012 despite missing time due to injury, hitting .300 with five home runs and 31 RBI in 81 games.

Obviously, Werth needs to maintain the form he showed in 2012 if he is going to come anywhere close to living up to his contract.

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