10 Worst Contracts in MLB
Signing the players on this list may have seemed like great ideas at the time, but the organizations are now paying royally for their blunders.
This list is so impressive that players like Melvin Upton Jr. and Carl Crawford didn't even make the cut, even though they are each due large amounts of money and spend most of their time on the disabled list.
To be fair, not every player listed here is bad or underperforming, but his contract may be holding his franchise back from a much-needed rebuild. Despite the growing evidence that long-term contracts almost never work out, more enormous free-agent deals will likely be handed out in the future due to the recent explosion of young talent into the major leagues.
In any event, here are the 10 worst contracts in baseball right now.
10. Ryan Braun, OF, Milwaukee Brewers
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Ryan Braun exploded onto the scene, winning the 2007 Rookie of the Year Award and appearing in five consecutive All-Star Games from 2008-2012. He followed up his MVP season in 2011 with an even more impressive campaign the following year but hasn't been the same since he was suspended for PED use during the 2013 season.
After hitting just 19 home runs last season, Braun's production has come back this year. The 31-year-old is hitting .257 with 13 HRs and 41 RBI but is due $96 million over the next five seasons.
The Milwaukee Brewers, who are currently 24-42 and in last place in the National League Central, may not even be able to trade him because of the high salary and long-term commitment of his contract.
9. Troy Tulowitzki, SS, Colorado Rockies
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Along with his contract, concerns over his health and home/road splits are likely keeping teams from trading for Troy Tulowitzki.
While he may be the best player at an extremely thin shortstop position, the fact is that Tulowitzki hasn't played more than 130 games in a season since 2011. For his career, he's a .323 hitter at Coors Field and a .274 hitter everywhere else. Additionally, in one less home game over the span of his career, he has 20 more home runs than on the road.
Although some feel as if a Tulowitzki trade is "inevitable," it may be hard to find a team that will take on his contract, which will pay him $94 million over the next five seasons.
8. Jon Lester, SP, Chicago Cubs
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Recent history has shown that giving long-term deals to starting pitchers is a bad idea, and Jon Lester is looking like another example of that.
The signing made sense, as the Chicago Cubs needed a front-end starter to solidify their rotation. They wanted to make a splash and bring in a proven veteran to anchor the staff while the lineup waited for reinforcements from the minor leagues in the form of prospects such as Kris Bryant and Addison Russell.
While the Cubs are off to an impressive 34-28 start, Lester's first year in Chicago has been a bit underwhelming thus far. The lefty is currently 4-5 with a 3.99 ERA, although he is on pace to pitch 200 innings for the seventh time in the last eight seasons.
At the very least, Lester has proven to be a durable starter who can be an innings-eater, but with his $125 million price tag over the next five years, a little production wouldn't hurt.
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7. CC Sabathia, SP, New York Yankees
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The only thing keeping CC Sabathia this far down on the list is that he only has two years left on his contract.
Still, the New York Yankees will have to pay him $50 million even though he hasn't resembled the ace they initially signed.
After throwing 200 or more innings for seven consecutive seasons, Sabathia finally broke down in 2014, appearing in only eight games. He hasn't been very good while healthy this year, either, as he is currently just 3-7 with a 5.38 ERA. Additionally, his fastball, which was an average of 93.9 mph as recently as 2011, has dropped to just 89.8 mph this season, per FanGraphs.
In fairness, Sabathia won the 2009 World Series with the Yankees, so the Bombers got what they wanted out of him.
6. Matt Kemp, OF, San Diego Padres
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The San Diego Padres had an impressive offseason, but it hasn't paid off for them in the win column, as they are currently three games under .500.
Although the trade for Matt Kemp was initially regarded as a good move, the slugger is batting just .246 with three home runs and 34 RBI in his first season in San Diego.
His resurgent 2014 campaign, in which he slugged 25 home runs for the Los Angeles Dodgers, is beginning to look like a fluke, and he is owed $87 million over the next four seasons.
5. Ryan Zimmerman, 1B, Washington Nationals
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Ryan Zimmerman may be the longest-tenured player on the Washington Nationals, but he may start becoming a liability for the club in the future.
The last year in which Zimmerman had 30 HR and 100 RBI was 2009, his lone All-Star season.
Additionally, Zimmerman's shoulder woes have escalated to the point that the Nationals have had to put him at first base to limit his throwing. He's currently on the disabled list due to plantar fasciitis, and injuries have been a concern in recent years, as he played in only 61 games in 2014.
The Nationals will have to pay him $60 million over the next four seasons, which is a considerable price tag considering his injury and production concerns.
4. Justin Verlander, SP, Detroit Tigers
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Justin Verlander just made his first start of the season on Saturday, and it's safe to say that his days of being one of baseball's greatest pitchers are gone.
That isn't to say that he can't still be an effective starter, but he would have to pitch like an ace over the next four seasons to rightfully earn his $112 million. After five consecutive All-Star Game appearances, Verlander was just 15-12 with a 4.54 ERA last season and found himself on the disabled list for the first time of his career to start the 2015 season due to a triceps strain.
It's also worth wondering whether Verlander's contract is holding the Detroit Tigers back from signing any free agents. The club elected to let ace Max Scherzer walk last season and now faces the upcoming free agency of David Price this winter.
3. Rick Porcello, SP, Boston Red Sox
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The Boston Red Sox traded Yoenis Cespedes for Rick Porcello and gave him a contract extension before he ever threw a regular-season pitch for them.
Both moves look as if they were mistakes, as Porcello has had a poor first season in Boston. The 26-year-old is just 4-7 with a 5.29 ERA thus far, and the Red Sox have been baseball's most disappointing team, sitting in the cellar of the American League East at 28-38.
Porcello still has time to turn it around, but as it currently stands, he's had above a 4.30 ERA in five of his seven seasons and doesn't appear to be worth the $103.6 million that the Red Sox committed to him over the next five seasons.
2. David Wright, 3B, New York Mets
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Already a franchise with significant financial woes, the New York Mets could be crippled by David Wright's contract over the next few years.
The 32-year-old is due $87 million over the next five seasons and is currently on the disabled list with spinal stenosis, a potentially career-threatening injury.
Due to the severity of the injury, Wright knows that he has to take his time recovering.
"If that means being a little more conservative, then that means being a little more conservative," Wright said, per Tim Rohan of the New York Times. "Because we're not just talking about playing baseball. We're talking about walking and standing and being pain-free."
When he does return, Wright will need to prove that he's the player he once was.
Wright hasn't had over 30 home runs in a season since 2008 and hasn't driven in over 100 runs since 2010. Although the Mets are currently in first place in the National League East, they could certainly use Wright's production in the middle of the order moving forward.
Due to Wright's cloudy situation, however, the Mets will hold their breath and hope their captain can return at full strength.
1. Robinson Cano, 2B, Seattle Mariners
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Robinson Cano left the New York Yankees in pursuit of more money and found himself in the Pacific Northwest. Unfortunately for him and the Seattle Mariners, his production hasn't followed.
Cano is having the worst season of his career for a team that was expected to finally take the next step. The 32-year-old is hitting a career-low .238 with just two home runs and 19 RBI.
While his power numbers were expected to drop since he no longer played his home games at Yankee Stadium, Cano's batting average is alarming. Although he took advantage of the friendly porch in right field of Yankee Stadium, Cano always exhibited the ability to hit to all fields at a significantly high contact rate, batting .309 over his nine years in pinstripes.
Cano represents one of baseball's most recent 10-year contracts, and if he continues to flounder, he could change the way organizations view free agency. After 2015, the second baseman is still owed $192 million over the next eight seasons. The Mariners are likely praying that the last three months have been an aberration and not a trend for the six-time All-Star.
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