Each MLB Team's Big-Name Player Who Should Be Kicked to Curb After 2018
Because MLB contracts are fully guaranteed, it's often risky for a team to sign a player to a long-term deal.
Due to the 25-man roster crunch, teams can only give an underperforming player so many chances to live up to his contract before he starts to become a hindrance.
Below is a look at the notable players each team should kick to the curb this coming offseason.
For some, it's as easy as declining a team option. In other instances, it would mean finding a trade partner. And in many cases, it would be a matter of the front office swallowing its pride and a significant chunk of money with an outright release.
AL East
1 of 6
Baltimore Orioles: 1B Chris Davis
The Orioles still owe Davis a staggering $92 million over the next four years, so he isn't likely to go anywhere.
With that said, he's having one of the worst seasons in baseball history. So, if a team was ever going to cut a player loose with that much money left on the books, he's the guy.
The 32-year-old is hitting a miserable .167/.246/.312 with a 36.6 percent strikeout rate and a minus-2.1 WAR. If nothing else, releasing him would allow Trey Mancini to move to first base, where he's far better suited defensively.
Boston Red Sox: 2B/3B Eduardo Nunez
Eduardo Nunez has a $4 million player option for next season, so it won't be up to the Red Sox whether he stays or goes.
That said, releasing him is not out of the question.
The 31-year-old has posted a disappointing 76 OPS+ in 437 plate appearances, and his defensive metrics at second base (minus-14 DRS, minus-5.7 UZR/150) have been nothing short of awful. With a healthy Brock Holt once again producing in the super-utility role, Nunez is expendable.
New York Yankees: OF Jacoby Ellsbury
It feels like ages ago that the Yankees gave Jacoby Ellsbury a massive seven-year, $153 million deal to cross rivalry lines.
However, he's still owed $42.3 million over the next two seasons, and he has a $21 million option for 2021 that carries a $5 million buyout.
The 34-year-old has been sidelined all season with a hip injury, and he finally underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum at the beginning of August. The typical recovery time from that surgery is six months, according to Max Gelman of MLB.com.
At this point, there's no place for Ellsbury on the Yankees roster anyway. Cutting ties and eating that remaining money would be reasonable.
Tampa Bay Rays: No one
The Rays have only one player under contract for the 2019 season: center fielder Kevin Kiermaier, who carries a reasonable $8,166,666 salary.
Tommy Pham will receive a sizeable raise in his first year of arbitration based on past performance, and C.J. Cron should see a decent bump up from the $2.3 million he earned this season, but neither player is a real candidate to be non-tendered.
As such, the Rays don't have an obvious candidate to be kicked to the curb.
Toronto Blue Jays: C/3B Russell Martin
Russell Martin has lined up at third base in eight of his last 10 games, as top prospect Danny Jansen has taken over as the Blue Jays primary catcher and figures to fill that role for the foreseeable future.
So, where does that leave Martin going forward?
The 35-year-old is hitting .199/.341/.332 on the season, and he's owed $20 million next season in the final year of his contract.
With fellow top prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. likely to step into the starting third base job early next season, there's no clear path to everyday playing time for Martin. Eating the bulk of his contract and dealing him to a contender in search of a proven veteran backstop could be part of a busy offseason in Toronto.
AL Central
2 of 6
Chicago White Sox: SP James Shields
After struggling in his first two seasons with the White Sox, veteran James Shields has enjoyed a resurgence of sorts in 2018, with a 4.59 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 170.2 innings of work.
There's value in a starter who can eat innings at a league-average level, but that value isn't $16 million.
That's what Shields is owed next season in the form of a team option. With only a $2 million buyout attached to that figure, the White Sox are likely to cut him loose this winter.
Cleveland Indians: 2B Jason Kipnis
Jason Kipnis' production has dropped off dramatically in recent seasons:
- 2015: .303 BA, 120 OPS+, 59 XBH, 4.6 WAR
- 2016: .275 BA, 109 OPS+, 68 XBH, 4.4 WAR
- 2017: .232 BA, 81 OPS+, 37 XBH, 0.4 WAR
- 2018: .223 BA, 79 OPS+, 35 XBH, 0.9 WAR
With one guaranteed season left on his contract, the Indians could shop him aggressively this winter with the idea of moving Jose Ramirez to second base.
That would open the door or someone like Yandy Diaz or prospect Yu-Cheng Chang to step into an everyday role at third base.
Detroit Tigers: SP Jordan Zimmermann
Clayton Kershaw, Dallas Keuchel and Charlie Morton are the top potential options on the starting pitching market this coming offseason, but all three pitchers are strong candidates to stay put.
That would result in a thin starting pitching market, led by Patrick Corbin, J.A. Happ and a number of back-end starters. Might that open the door for the Tigers to deal Jordan Zimmermann?
The 32-year-old posted an unsightly 5.60 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in 47 starts during his first two seasons in Detroit, but he's bounced back nicely this year. To date, he's gone 6-6 with a 4.38 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 88 strikeouts in 100.2 innings.
While Zimmermann is owed $25 million in both 2019 and 2020, the Tigers might be able to find a taker if they're willing to eat two-thirds of that money or in a swap of bad contracts.
Kansas City Royals: SP Jason Hammel
Jason Hammel went a combined 25-17 with a 3.79 ERA and 1.18 WHIP while averaging 30 starts for the Chicago Cubs during the 2015 and 2016 seasons. He turned that into a two-year, $16 million deal from the Royals that includes a $12 million option with a $2 million buyout for 2019.
Unfortunately, his time in Kansas City has been an unmitigated disaster. He posted a 5.29 ERA in 32 starts last season, and he was relegated to the bullpen at the beginning of July en route to a 5.97 ERA over 119 innings of work.
Declining his option should be a no-brainer.
Minnesota Twins: 1B/DH Logan Morrison
It looked like the Twins were getting one of the steals of the offseason when they signed Logan Morrison to a one-year, $6.5 million deal that included an $8 million option for 2019.
The 31-year-old posted a 134 OPS+ and slugged 38 home runs during a breakout 2017 season, but he's regressed mightily this year.
Over 359 plate appearances, he's hitting .186/.276/.368 with 15 home runs and 39 RBI for a 73 OPS+ and minus-0.3 WAR. What once looked like a team-friendly option is now a lock to be declined.
AL West
3 of 6
Houston Astros: C Brian McCann
On an Astros team loaded with star talent, Brian McCann is still the second-highest-paid player on the roster this season with a $17 million base salary. Granted, the New York Yankees are paying $5.5 million of that, but the point still stands.
The 34-year-old has played in only 50 games this season, hitting .206/.283/.323 for a 71 OPS+ and 0.8 WAR, and he's been sidelined since the end of June after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.
McCann is a valuable veteran presence, and the Astros are still lacking a clear replacement at catcher, but his $15 million team option for 2019 is steep. Declining that option and then re-signing him at a lower salary could be an option.
Los Angeles Angels: 1B Albert Pujols
Would the Angels really consider cutting ties with Albert Pujols?
The 38-year-old has an 85 OPS+ and .288 on-base percentage over the past two seasons, but his back-loaded deal will pay him $87 million over the next three years.
Releasing him now would open up more DH at-bats for Shohei Ohtani and clear a path for 2016 first-round pick Matt Thaiss, who is hitting .281/.335/.475 with 33 doubles, 16 home runs and 73 RBI in 119 games between Double-A and Triple-A.
Pujols is one of the best players ever to play the game, and he's earned the right to go out on his own terms. It would likely need to be a mutual decision on the part of Pujols and the Angels, and that's an awful lot of money to leave on the table, but he's become more of a burden than an asset from a production standpoint.
Oakland Athletics: No one
The Athletics have only two players under contract for next season—Stephen Piscotty ($7,333,333) and Yusmeiro Petit ($5,500,000)—and they are both well worth their salaries.
Khris Davis is the highest-paid player on the team with a $10.5 million salary, and that will climb even higher in his final year of arbitration, but he's worth it. After all, he's one of the most dangerous sluggers in the game.
After making a surprise run to contention this season, the A's are in a great position to spend some money in free agency next winter. They're one of the few teams in MLB without any bad contracts.
Seattle Mariners: SP/RP Felix Hernandez
Denard Span joined the Mariners in what amounted to a salary dump when they acquired Alex Colome from the Rays, but he's hitting .309/.352/.491 in 244 plate appearances since that trade. His $12 million option for 2019 now looks far more reasonable.
That makes the obvious answer the recently demoted Felix Hernandez.
King Felix is nothing short of a franchise legend, but his $27,857,000 salary for next season makes him a high-priced long reliever at this point in his career. The 32-year-old has a 5.64 ERA and 1.42 WHIP over 135.2 innings this season.
This is another case where it would have to be a mutual decision between the player and the team, as Hernandez has earned the right to go out on his own terms. But it might be time for one of the best pitchers of his era to hang it up.
Texas Rangers: SPs Matt Moore, Martin Perez and Doug Fister
The Rangers have a few notable decision to make on team options. Matt Moore ($10 million), Martin Perez ($7.5 million) and Doug Fister ($4.5 million) are all under control for the 2019 season if the team so desires.
However, none of those starters have pitched up to expectations:
- Moore: 89.1 IP, 6.95 ERA, 5.08 FIP, 1.72 WHIP
- Perez: 68.2 IP, 6.95 ERA, 5.99 FIP, 1.89 WHIP
- Fister: 66.0 IP, 4.50 ERA, 5.24 FIP, 1.39 WHIP
Cutting ties with all three and rebuilding the starting rotation from scratch makes sense for a team that's headed for a rebuilding period.
NL East
4 of 6
Atlanta Braves: OF Adam Duvall
The deadline deal in which the Braves sent three players to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for outfielder Adam Duvall was as much about creating space on the 40-man roster as it was trying to find a platoon partner for Ender Inciarte.
Unfortunately, Duvall has struggled to the tune of a .121/.194/.121 line in 20 games with the Braves. He has only four singles in 36 plate appearances.
His two 30-homer seasons and 2016 All-Star Game appearance give him enough of a resume that he'll likely receive a decent salary bump in his first year of arbitration eligibility this winter. Therefore, non-tendering him is the right move for the Braves.
Miami Marlins: 3B Martin Prado
The Marlins gave Martin Prado a three-year, $40 million extension after he hit .305/.359/.417 with 48 extra-base hits and 75 RBI in on his way to 3.9 WAR in 2016.
However, a knee injury cut his 2017 season short, and his recovery from the subsequent surgery has limited him to only 53 games so far this year. The result during that span has been a forgettable .246/.284/.324 line over 352 plate appearances and 0.4 WAR.
Trading him will be tough, and the Marlins probably won't want to burn his $15 million salary for nothing, but they could look to trade him as part of a packaged deal. Catcher J.T. Realmuto and controllable relievers Kyle Barraclough, Drew Steckenrider and Adam Conley will all be hot commodities on the offseason trade market.
New York Mets: 1B/OF Jay Bruce
Jason Vargas was the first name that came to mind here, but he has quietly posted a 2.08 ERA over his last three starts, including six scoreless innings against the Washington Nationals on Friday. There's no reason to cut ties with his reasonable $8 million salary if he can provide solid innings.
That leaves Jay Bruce as the clear candidate for a salary-dump deal.
"As the Mets evaluate their options for next season, manager Mickey Callaway said Bruce is a possibility to become the team's full-time first baseman in 2019 if he can show proficiency at the position over the next five weeks," Mike Puma of the New York Post reported Friday.
In the midst of a losing season, the Mets need to commit to rebuilding rather than trying to tread water. Blocking top prospect Peter Alonso by planting Bruce at first base doesn't do the franchise any favors moving forward.
But with Bruce still owed $28 million over the next two seasons, he likely isn't going anywhere. The Mets don't have the type of front office that would take that hit and admit to making a mistake.
Philadelphia Phillies: 1B Justin Bour
The Phillies have been using Justin Bour in a part-time role since acquiring him from the Marlins earlier this month, which doesn't suggest he has a long-term place on the team.
The 30-year-old is making $3.4 million this season in his first year of arbitration, and with a 114 OPS+ and 20 home runs in 469 plate appearances, a salary north of $5 million next year seems likely.
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports suggested Bour could be a non-tender candidate at the end of the season. With Carlos Santana manning first base and Rhys Hoskins waiting in the wings to return to his natural position if the opportunity arises, that's the likely outcome.
Washington Nationals: No one
Stephen Strasburg, Max Scherzer, Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Eaton and Howie Kendrick are the only five players under contract for the Nationals next season.
Kendrick is recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon and could be a candidate to be released with a $4 million salary, but his role as a leader on a team that is going to get increasingly younger might be worth that price tag.
"It's a huge loss," Bryce Harper told reporters after Kendrick was lost for the season. "He's one of the best teammates I've ever played with, such a great guy in the clubhouse, great guy on the field. Shows up every single day, same guy, same mentality."
With that in mind, there's no clear candidate for the Nationals to dump as they enter what figures to be a franchise-altering offseason.
NL Central
5 of 6
Chicago Cubs: SP/RP Tyler Chatwood
Here's what I wrote on the subject of the Cubs releasing Tyler Chatwood earlier this month:
"This is a bold suggestion for a player who is in the first year of a three-year, $38 million deal, but releasing Tyler Chatwood is the best move for the Cubs to make. ...
"At this point, he can't be trusted with anything more than mop-up duty, and the Cubs can't afford to waste a spot on him for the next month while they wait for rosters to expand.
"It goes beyond just this season, though. They can't count on him to fill a rotation spot next year when they're trying to contend for a title, so what's the sense in keeping him around and eating up a spot on the 40-man roster? Chalk it up as a loss, cut ties now, add a useful arm to the bullpen and move on."
There's no reason to cut ties now with rosters set to expand in a few days, but eating up a 25-man roster spot next season is another story. Once again: Chalk it up as a loss, cut ties and add a useful arm to the bullpen.
Cincinnati Reds: SP Homer Bailey
The Reds have gone 1-17 in Homer Bailey's starts this season, and Bailey himself is 1-12 with a 6.17 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and a .310 opponents' batting average in 96.1 innings of work.
And he hasn't exactly taken those struggles in stride.
When he was briefly demoted to the bullpen in June, a reporter asked: "Could the switch to the bullpen get him back on track?"
His response: "Probably not, but that is what we are hoping for."
The 32-year-old has every reason to be discouraged, but that isn't the type of attitude you want around a young clubhouse.
The Reds are on the hook for $23 million next season and a $5 million buyout of a $25 million mutual option for 2020. He's shown no signs of righting the ship, so it's lost money regardless. They should release him and move on from a contract that will go down as one of the worst in MLB history.
Milwaukee Brewers: 2B Jonathan Schoop
Jonathan Schoop was one of the breakout stars of 2017 when he hit .293/.338/.503 with 35 doubles, 32 home runs and 105 RBI to earn his first All-Star appearance and finish 12th in AL MVP voting.
His regression this season has been drastic.
The 26-year-old is hitting .238 with an 88 OPS+ on the year, and that includes a .206/.242/.333 line in 66 plate appearances with the Brewers after coming over in a deadline deal.
Schoop has another season of team control remaining, and the Brewers gave up some legitimate talent to get him. But he's looking more and more like a non-tender candidate, especially considering his $8.5 million salary that is likely to climb.
The front office will also have a decision to make on Joakim Soria's $10 million option.
Pittsburgh Pirates: SS/3B Jung Ho Kang
At this point, the Pirates should just cut ties with Jung Ho Kang.
The 31-year-old has a 126 OPS+ and 6.5 WAR in two big league seasons, but he missed the entire 2017 season after his work visa was revoked following a third DUI conviction. His arrival stateside was delayed this year as those legal troubles continued, but he was finally reinstated on June 15.
He's currently playing in Triple-A and has a $5.5 million option for next season, but with a number of up-and-coming infield options, the Pirates can afford to cut ties and move on. Ke'Bryan Hayes is currently playing in Double-A and could be the everyday third baseman by this time next year.
St. Louis Cardinals: RP Luke Gregerson
The Cardinals signed Luke Gregerson to a two-year, $11 million deal to use him as their closer. Instead, he's been limited to only 17 appearances and struggled to a 7.11 ERA while dealing with shoulder inflammation.
The 34-year-old will earn $5 million next season, and he has a $5 million option with a $1 million buyout for 2020. But with three disabled list trips under his belt this season, there's likely a bigger issue at play than just shoulder soreness.
The front office didn't hesitate to cut ties with Greg Holland, and it should treat Gregerson's inability to stay on the field the same way.
NL West
6 of 6
Arizona Diamondbacks: SP Shelby Miller
The Diamondbacks can only hope Yasmany Tomas will opt out of the final two years and $32.5 million of his contract, but that isn't going to happen.
Instead, the easy pick here is Shelby Miller.
It'll hurt to admit defeat on the lopsided deal that sent Ender Inciarte and Dansby Swanson to the Braves in exchange for Miller, but it's time.
The 27-year-old has been unable to stay healthy once again this season. And when he has taken the mound, he's been torched to the tune of an 11.40 ERA and 2.07 WHIP in 15 innings across four starts.
Miller is making $4.9 million this season, and while he might not receive a raise next year, players rarely take a pay cut in arbitration. That should make non-tendering him an easy decision.
Colorado Rockies: OF Gerardo Parra
There's little incentive for the Rockies to exercise their $12 million option on Gerardo Parra next season.
The 31-year-old has posted an 82 OPS+ and minus-0.1 WAR this season. The Rockies would be afforded some relief from an outfield logjam if they sent him packing.
The three-year, $27.5 million deal that Parra signed to join the Rockies was a head-scratcher from the stat. Colorado can at least recoup the option year with only a $1.5 million buyout.
Another no-brainer.
Los Angeles Dodgers: OF Yasiel Puig
Yasiel Puig is earning $9.214 million this season, and that number is only going to climb as he enters arbitration for the first and final time before reaching free agency.
After a nice bounce-back season in 2017, his numbers have once again dropped across the board.
His walk rate is down (11.2 to 8.0 percent), his strikeout rate is up (17.5 to 20.2 percent) and he's once again letting his emotions get the best of him.
The Dodgers could easily cut ties and hand Alex Verdugo the everyday right field job heading into next season. They might even be able to tender him a contract and then flip him before the start of the season, although there's no telling what his potential market would look like.
San Diego Padres: No one
The prime candidate to be cut loose on the Padres roster was right-hander Phil Hughes, and the front office pulled the trigger on that move earlier this month.
The Padres took on Hughes' bloated contract as a means of acquiring the No. 74 overall pick in the 2018 draft from the Twins. Teams are allowed to trade competitive balance picks, and the Twins used theirs as a means of offloading a bad contract.
Hughes, 32, was still owed another $13.2 million next season, $5.95 million of which the Twins will pay.
There are no other obvious release candidates on the roster as they continue on with the rebuilding process.
San Francisco Giants: No one
Rebuilding is easier said than done for a Giants team that has a ton of money tied up in an aging core and little in the way of controllable young talent.
There's no reason to cut ties with guys like Johnny Cueto, Evan Longoria or Jeff Samardzija, as they're still capable of providing something for their lofty salaries.
As a result, there's no clear choice here for the Giants. They'll finally be finished paying Hunter Pence; otherwise, he would have been an easy pick.
All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs, unless otherwise noted, and accurate through Aug. 26. Salary information comes via Spotrac.
