Every MLB Team's Worst Contract Heading into 2021 Season
It is bound to happen to just about every team in professional sports. But bad contracts might be that much more of a staple in Major League Baseball.
Football and basketball have different structures to deals. In the NBA, for example, the longest a max contractโlike those just signed by Anthony Davis and Giannis Antetokounmpoโwill last is five years. The NFL has a bit of a similar structure, with teams often times having "out" clauses, though they usually have to pay something against the hard cap.
Baseball does not really have any limitations in this regard. It is why guys like Bryce Harper and Giancarlo Stanton can sign 13-year deals. Of course, this kind of negotiating invariably leads to some horrific contracts.
Here is a closer look at every MLB team's worst contract heading into 2021. We considered the value of the deal against the player's productiveness, in addition to years remaining, age and any payroll constraints the deal might be causing a given team.
Arizona Diamondbacks: Madison Bumgarner
1 of 30
Unfortunately for the Diamondbacks, they only just consummated their worst deal.
Arizona had a definite need for starting pitching last winter, and Madison Bumgarner was one of the top players available in that market. The former World Series MVP had dealt with health issues in 2017 and 2018, but he recovered to post a decent 3.90 ERA in 2019.ย
However, there was room for skepticism considering Bumgarner is a finesse pitcher and had one of the lowest ERA+ (108) marks of his career in 2019. Nevertheless, Arizona signed him to a five-year, $85 million deal.ย
In fairness to the Diamondbacks, Bumgarner was initially seeking over $100 million over the course of five years, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. But the length of the deal looks especially shaky after the year MadBum just had.
Bumgarner had a 6.48 ERA in nine starts last year. He dealt with some injuries but also lost four mph on his four-seam fastball and over three mph on his cutter, per Baseball Savant. As a result, Bumgarner ranked in just the fourth percentile in whiff rate and second percentile in expected ERA.
The 31-year-old's contract is going to look even worse if he cannot bounce back in 2021. Bumgarner is owed a combined $46 million in 2022 and 2023, so the Diamondbacks need him to rediscover the stuff that made him one of the best pitchers in baseball while with San Francisco.
Atlanta Braves: Ender Inciarte
2 of 30
The argument could be made that Will Smith's contract is worse than Inciarte's, considering his home run bugaboos (allowing seven in 16 innings) continued in 2020 and he will make a combined $26 million in the next two years.
However, Smith still figures to be an important piece in Atlanta's bullpen. Inciarte has no such role in the Braves outfield.
The 30-year-old signed a five-year deal with the Braves ahead of the 2017 season. He was worth a respectable 6.0 fWAR in the first two years of the deal, per FanGraphs. But Inciarte has been worth just 3.3 fWAR since, including minus-0.6 fWAR this past season.
Inciarte slashed .190/.262/.250 in 46 games and was replaced on the postseason roster by top prospect Cristian Pache. Atlanta should be in the mix to re-sign Marcell Ozuna and perhaps add another corner outfielder in right, unless the Braves are comfortable with Pache. Either way, Inciarte looks like the odd man out.
The good news for the Braves is Inciarte has a club option in 2022. But the bad news is they have to pay him $8.7 million to likely sit on the bench, hardly the most ideal circumstances for a legitimate contender that could otherwise use those funds to upgrade the bullpen or strengthen an offer to Ozuna.
Baltimore Orioles: Chris Davis
3 of 30
It is the sharpness of Davis' falloff that has made this contract that much more painful for Orioles fans.
Davis was one of the premier sluggers in baseball early in the 2010s. He clubbed 33 homers in his first year in Baltimore in 2012. The following season, Davis led baseball in homers (53), RBI (138) and total bases (370) while finishing third in the American League MVP voting. Davis hit just .196 in 2014, but he rebounded by leading the bigs with 47 homers to go with a .923 OPS in 2015.ย
The O's were sold on Davis as a franchise player. They inked him to a seven-year, $161 million deal ahead of the 2016 season. Davis hit 38 homers in his first year on the new deal in his age-30 season, but his OPS fell to .792. Things would only get worse.
Baltimore essentially entered a rebuild in earnest after a disappointing 2017. Davis, meanwhile, has been worth minus-5.3ย fWAR since then. The Texas native played just 16 games in 2020ย and had six hits in 55 plate appearances. He has been worth a total of 88 wRC+ in the last three years.ย
But the worst part for Baltimore? Davis is owed $42 million in deferred money from 2023 to 2037, per Spotrac. The Orioles are nowhere near contention at present, but Davis' contract could partially inhibit their ability to spend when they are competitive again.
.jpg?w=256 "MLB Farm System Rankings")
Boston Red Sox: Dustin Pedroia
4 of 30
One could argue the Red Sox's worst contract is still David Price, considering they had to pay down some of his deal just to send him to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Rusney Castillo's seven-year, $72 million deal was also an abomination, though he is no longer on payroll.
Pedroia, meanwhile, has played a total of nine games over the last three years, including missing the entirety of the 2020 season. He has made over $44 million (though the 2020 salary was prorated) in that three-year span, per Spotrac, and the Red Sox owe him another $12 million in 2021.
Setting aside close to $15 million a year for a guy who basically won't play would be a negative for any team, but especially the Red Sox, a team burdened by payroll issues in recent years.ย
Boston's tremendously high payrolls and luxury-tax bills were the primary reason the team dealt Mookie Betts and Price to get back under the competitive balance tax (CBT) threshold and orchestrate a reset of sorts.
Maybe the Red Sox still would not have extended Betts even if Pedroia wasn't on payroll. But is hard to argue Pedroia's contract has not been preventative in terms of the team's ability to spend in the last few years. The notion is made worse by the fact he simply has not taken the field.
Chicago Cubs: Jason Heyward
5 of 30
Credit to Heyward, who is desperately trying to salvage the eight-year, $184 million contract he signed with the Cubs ahead of the 2016 season.
Heyward has improved at the plate in each season on the North Side, posting an .848 OPS in 2020. He has also won a pair of Gold Gloves.
Still, the 31-year-old's tenure has hardly justified the $23 million annual average value (AAV). Heyward has surpassed 100 wRC+ just twice in five seasons with the Cubs after doing so in five of the first six years of his career.
More importantly, his big contract has made things especially tough for Chicago in recent seasons. The Cubsโbogged down by luxury-tax concernsโhave barely added to the roster in the past two years, missing the playoffs in 2019 and losing to the Miami Marlins in the Wild Card Round this fall.
Heyward deserves credit for showing improvement. He also brings plenty of intangibles and character to the table. But he simply has not lived up to his contract and is still owed $65 million over the next three years. That's hardly ideal for a Cubs team in transition.
Chicago White Sox: Leury Garcia
6 of 30
The White Sox are in fantastic shape.
General manager Rick Hahn's decision to buy out Eloy Jimenez and Luis Robert's arbitration years in consecutive offseasons is already paying dividends with the two youngsters showing signs of stardom. The White Sox re-signed Jose Abreu last season, and the veteran first baseman promptly won the AL MVP Award.ย
Moreover, the likes of Yasmani Grandal and Dallas Keuchel had excellent debut seasons in the Windy City, and shortstop Tim Anderson is on a team-friendly deal.
Yoan Moncada's five-year, $70 million extension could look iffy if he struggles to rebound from a poor 2020 in which he had a .705 OPS, but it is too early to make a determination there considering he hit .315 with a .915 OPS in 2019. Plus, he is only making $6.8 million in 2021.ย
Garcia has actually been a decent utility player for Chicago. He can hit for average and steal bases, and the 30-year-old might be in line for more playing time after missing over a month in 2020 with an injured left thumb. Garcia could be that much more important depending on how Nick Madrigal recovers from shoulder surgery.
Still, Garcia is the black sheep since he has to compete for playing time. That $3.5 million could otherwise be delegated to other areas.
Cincinnati Reds: Joey Votto
7 of 30
We have to recognize that Joey Votto was one of the best players of the 2010s. He is a former MVP and someone who made six All-Star teams over the last decade.
But there is no denying the 37-year-old's age is beginning to show, and his contract is becoming a big minus for the Reds.ย
The Canadian was coming off another excellent campaign when he signed a 10-year, $225 million contract with Cincinnati ahead of the 2014 season. While that year was ruined by injury, Votto recovered to finish third in the National League MVP voting in 2015 and second in 2017.
Things just have not been the same since. Votto made the All-Star team again in 2018, and he led the NL in OBP (.417). But his slugging percentage fell 159 points. Votto has seen a fairly steep decline in batting average in each of the last two years, and has been worth just 1.3 fWAR.
Votto ranked in the bottom third of the league in both average exit velocity and hard-hit percentage in 2020, per Baseball Savant, and was in the sixth percentile in outs above average.
It is natural someone with Votto's mileage begins to slow down at the end of his career. But Cincy owes him $82 million guaranteed over the next four years (the fourth is a team option), and his deal is weighing the Reds down as they spend this offseason cutting costs.
Cleveland: Roberto Perez
8 of 30
Perez is one of the strongest defensive catchers in the league, having won consecutive Gold Gloves. But he has been tremendously inconsistent at the plate.
Yet, the reason his contract is Cleveland's worst is not so much about his own abilities as it is about the team now having a player tremendously similar at over $2 million less of a cost.
Cleveland acquired Austin Hedges from the San Diego Padres as part of the Mike Clevinger trade. Hedges, like Perez, has really struggled to come into his own at the plate. Yet, also like Perez, he is a tremendous defensive backstop and a terrific pitch-framer. Perez has been worth 3.1 fWAR in the last three seasons. Hedges has been worth 3.6 fWAR.
Again, this is not an indictment of Perez. But Hedges is a similar player and is estimated to make $3.1 million in arbitration this year, $2.4 million less than Perez.
Every million matters for a small-market club like Cleveland.
Colorado Rockies: Nolan Arenado
9 of 30
Let's start by acknowledging the obvious fact Nolan Arenado is a tremendous player. He ranks 12th in fWAR since coming to the majors in 2013 and fourth among third basemen during that span.
But it is also true the eight-year, $260 million extension Arenado signed with the Rockies ahead of the 2019 season is giving Colorado problems.
Arenado opting out of his deal after next year would alleviate the team's payroll burden, but it would also mean the Rockies did not get much return on investment. Of course, it is the sheer size of his contract that is also what is making the 29-year-old so hard to trade.
Perhaps Colorado can pay down some of Arenado's deal in an effort to move him, much as the Boston Red Sox did with David Price. Or, they could take on a veteran on an expensive contract in addition to young assets.
Jon Morosi of MLB Network suggested someone like Robinson Cano could work after it was reported the Rockies would like to orchestrate a deal with the New York Mets. Then again, it is still a negative to take on Cano.
In short, the Rockies do not seem to have a ton of options when it comes to Arenado, and just about none of them are good.
Detroit Tigers: Miguel Cabrera
10 of 30
This one does not require a whole lot of explanation.
Cabrera was one of the best hitters in baseball when the Tigers signed him to an eight-year, $240 million dollar in 2016.
The two-time AL MVP can still hit a bit, but the power is mostly gone. Cabrera has slugged under the .400 mark in two of the last four seasons, which is hardly ideal for a guy whoโat this stage of his careerโis almost exclusively a designated hitter.
Detroit still owes Cabrera $94 million over the next three years. This has not quite been the curtain call Tigers fans might have envisioned.
Houston Astros: Justin Verlander
11 of 30
Verlander is in the final year of a two-year, $66 million contract extension he signed prior to the start of the 2019 season.
The Astros' acquisitionย of the former Tigers star via the now-defunctย waiver deadline was an integral part of their 2017 World Series title. Verlander was every bit as good over the course of the next two seasons, winning the Cy Young in 2019.
But this relates to the extension he signed for 2020 and 2021. Considering Verlander made just one start this past year and will miss all of 2021 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, it's a horrific contract to have on the books, especially when arguably your top position player (George Springer) is likely departing in free agency.
Kansas City Royals: Danny Duffy
12 of 30
Duffy is not a bad pitcher. He has a respectable 4.05 ERA in 10 years with the Royals. But is the veteran right-hander worth $15.5 million this year? No, especially not in the current market.
In fact, according to FanGraphs'ย dollars metric, Duffy has not been worth more than $10.5 million in any of the last three seasons. He has seen a rise in homer rates in the last three years and gave up 10 in 56.1 innings this past season en route to a 4.95 ERA, his worst since his rookie year in 2011.ย
Perhaps the Royals can turn a negative into a positive by moving Duffy in a depressed market. He is in the final year of his contract. But his salary could make that a tough task, considering recent results.
If nothing else, Duffy will be a back-end arm in the rotation, albeit an overpaid one.
Los Angeles Angels: Justin Upton
13 of 30
This spot could just as easily go to Albert Pujols, who has been worth minus-2.7 fWAR in the past four years and has not recorded a wRC+ higher than 93 in any of those seasons, per FanGraphs.
However, Pujols is at least off the payroll at the end of next season. The same cannot be said for Upton.ย
The Angels signed Upton to a five-year, $106 million deal ahead of the 2018 season. He had a solid year with the Halos, clubbing 30 homers with an .808 OPS.
But Upton played just 63 uninspiring games (.724 OPS) in 2019, and he hit .138 with a .522 OPS in his first 23 games of 2020 before finishing with a big September.
Los Angeles is still paying the 33-year-old to be a star, as the Angels owe Upton a combined $51 million over the course of the next two years. Nothing about the past two years has suggested Upton can still be a star, much less stay healthy.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Kenley Jansen
14 of 30
The Dodgers do not have many bad contracts. Joe Kelly could be an alternative here, but he is owed just over $12 million guaranteed in the next two years, with a team option in 2022.
Jansen, on the other hand, is owed $20 million in 2021. That is a big sum to pay for a 33-year-old closer, especially with guys like Liam Hendriks on the open market.
To be fair, he is still putting up strong numbers. Jansen had a 3.33 ERA in 2020, and his 12.2 strikeouts per nine innings was actually his best rate since 2017. The Curacao native also ranked in the 99th percentile in average exit velocity and 100th percentile in hard-hit rate, per Baseball Savant.
Still, there have been oddities, such as a weird decline in velocity early in the postseason. Additionally, we should just state the likelihood Hendriks will not touch what Jansen is making in terms of AAV. Considering Hendriks was far and away the most valuable reliever of the last two years, that makes Jansen's final year under contract look like a fortune.
Miami Marlins: Corey Dickerson
15 of 30
Dickerson was an All-Star with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2017. He was a Gold Glover the following season with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The 31-year-old dealt with some injuries in 2019, but it still seemed like a low-risk, high-reward move when the Marlins signed Dickerson to a two-year, $17.5 million deal last winter. He disappointed in his Marlins debut.
Dickerson posted the lowest OPS (.713) and OPS+ (94) marks of his career. He also had just three hits in 16 plate appearances in October.
Despite only costing $8.75 million in 2021, Dickerson is the second-most expensive player on the Marlins. The worst part for Miami is that a strong season likely results in Dickerson bolstering his market for next winter and signing with another team in free agency in 2022.
Milwaukee Brewers: Avisail Garcia
16 of 30
There are arguments for Lorenzo Cain and Josh Hader in this spot.
However, Cain was off to a strong start in 2020 before opting out and also gave the Brewers an MVP-caliber season in 2018.
Hader is projected to make $6.8 million in his first year of arbitration after being Super Two-eligible last year, and that figure could frighten potential trade suitors a bit. But he is still a tremendous bullpen asset. Alas, Avisail Garcia is the choice here.
The Brewers signed the Venezuelan to a two-year, $20 million deal last winter after Garcia hit 20 homers with a .796 OPS for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2019. But he had a .659 OPS and hit just two homers during his first season in Milwaukee. He also ranked in the 36th percentile in outs above average, per Baseball Savant.
Milwaukee desperately needs more pop in the lineup after ranking 13th in the NL in OPS last year. Unless the Brewers get more production from Garcia, the $12.75 million in guaranteed money will all but have gone to waste.
Minnesota Twins: Jorge Polanco
17 of 30
Jorge Polanco is not very costly. In fact, his five-year, $25.75 million deal looks friendly considering what he did at the plate in 2019.
The 27-year-old made the All-Star team that season, hitting .295 with 22 homers, 40 doubles and an .841 OPS. It seemed he was on the verge of cementing himself as one of the great shortstops in baseball.
But he experienced pretty significant regression in 2020, due in part to an ankle injury that eventually required surgery. Why is this significant? Well, because Polanco also had ankle surgery in November 2019.
In the event his rehab goes well, it is certainly possible Polanco bounces back and the Twins are confident they have fixed the issue.ย
Alternatively, what if he still struggles at the plate? Would Minnesota move on?
Ultimately, Polanco is more of the fall guy. The Twins do not have many bad deals on the payroll. Still, his ankle issues could give them pause if he continues to struggle.
New York Mets: Robinson Cano
18 of 30
The New York Mets walked right into this one. Or, rather, former general manager Brodie Van Wagenen did.
Van Wagenen took on almost the entirety of Cano's deal, mostly so he could acquire Edwin Diaz from the Seattle Mariners ahead of the 2019 campaign. Suffice to say, the deal has not worked out.ย
Jarred Kelenic is blossoming into one of the top prospects in baseball with Seattle, and right-hander Justin Dunn has reached the majors.ย
Cano, meanwhile, is causing havoc. He had a .736 OPS over 107 games in 2019. Although the eight-time All-Star rebounded by hitting .316 with 10 homers and an .896 OPS in 2020, he was subsequently suspended for the entirety of the 2021 season after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
The good news for the Mets is Cano will forfeit his $24 million salary in 2021. But New York still owes him a combined $48 million in the next two years.
As Lando Calrissian once said, "This deal's getting worse all the time."
New York Yankees: Giancarlo Stanton
19 of 30
Giancarlo Stanton was coming off an MVP season when the Yankees acquired him from the Miami Marlins. He then had a successful debut in pinstripes, hitting 38 homers and posting an .852 OPS in 2018.
Since then, Stanton has played just 41 games due to an assortment of injuries. The 31-year-old is undoubtedly one of the top sluggers in the game when healthy, but Yankees fans cannot possibly feel good about him gettingย $218 million guaranteed over the next eight years considering his durability issues.
Stanton's deal looms especially large this winter. The Yankees are trying to re-sign DJ LeMahieu and add starting pitching, though they might ultimately be forced to pony up for the infielder and rely on internal growth from youngsters like Deivi Garcia, Clarke Schmidt and Jordan Montgomery.ย
Stanton still has every opportunity to earn his contract. Until he stays healthy, however, it looks like an albatross.
Oakland Athletics: Khris Davis
20 of 30
The Oakland Athletics rewarded Khris Davis with a two-year, $33.5 million extension in April 2019. It was a reasonable offer considering Davis had mashed 40-plus homers in each of the last three years.
Now, the deal is immensely cumbersome. He had a career-worst .679 OPS in 2019, and Khrush "topped" that by hitting .200 with a .632 OPS and 79 OPS+ in 2020.
The California native recovered in the playoffs, hitting three homers in six games after hitting just two in 99 plate appearances during the regular season.
Still, paying $16.75 million to a DH who, at one point, was borderline unplayable is a pretty bleak outlook for the A's, especially since they already operate on a low budget.
Philadelphia Phillies: Odubel Herrera
21 of 30
Odubel Herrera's contract is especially bad because he no longer plays for the Philadelphia Phillies. Of course, the reason he is no longer with the team takes precedence over dead money.
Philadelphia cut ties with the former All-Star this past January after he was suspended under MLB's domestic violence policy in 2019. The charges were dropped, but he remained suspended.
The Phillies still owe Herrera $12.85 million in guaranteed money. Plus, it was already shaping up to be a questionable contract. He hit 22 homers in 2018 but also saw a 48-point drop in OPS. He was hitting just .222 with a .629 OPS prior to the suspension in 2019.
But the severity of the accusations are far more concerning than anything baseball-related.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Felipe Vazquez
22 of 30
Felipe Vazquez was arrested and subsequently charged with 10 counts of child pornography, 10 counts of unlawful contact with a minor and one count of corruption of a minor in addition to the original charges ofย statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of a minor and other charges in September 2019. The Pirates suspended Vazquez after the accusations were filed.
Pittsburgh owes the left-handed closer $8.75 million guaranteed, though it remains to be seen what will happen to the money if Vazquez is convicted. He is slated to stand trial sometime in 2021.
The charges against Vazquez are numerous. As is the case with Herrera, the seriousness of these charges is far more consequential than anything on a baseball diamond.
San Diego Padres: Eric Hosmer
23 of 30
Eric Hosmer finally had the kind of season San Diego Padres fans had been waiting for since the team signed him in February 2018.
The 31-year-old hit nine homers with an .851 OPS and 131 OPS+, good for the second-highest mark of his career in both categories. His .517 slugging percentage was the best of his career.ย
However, it is important to remember Hosmer had wRC+ values of 95 and 91 in 2018 and 2019, respectively. There will be a lot of pressure on the former Kansas City Royals star to prove 2020 was no fluke, especially since the Friars still owe him $81 million over the course of the next five years.
Hosmer has every opportunity to keep mashing in the middle of a stacked Padres lineup. But he needs to do just that in order to maximize his value on this current deal.
San Francisco Giants: Evan Longoria
24 of 30
The San Francisco Giants should have a lot of payroll flexibility in 2022. Brandon Crawford's and Brandon Belt's contracts will have run their course, and San Francisco will almost certainly exercise buyouts of Buster Posey and Johnny Cueto.ย
But Evan Longoria will remain on the roster.
The Giants acquired the former Rookie of the Year from the Tampa Bay Rays in December 2017 in an effort to give the lineup more production. He has a rather underwhelming .726 OPS and 96 OPS+ in three years with San Francisco.
Longoria is owed $43.3 million guaranteed with a club option in 2023. The worst part, however, is the Rays are paying just $7 million of that down.
The 35-year-old will continue to man the hot corner for the Giants, who will begrudgingly pay out the remainder of his contract and hope for better production.
Seattle Mariners: Yusei Kikuchi
25 of 30
Yusei Kikuchi is already going to be overpaid in 2021. But that is not quite the main reason he earns this distinction.
The 29-year-old left-hander will make $17 million after two consecutive seasons with an ERA well over 5.00. Granted, Kikuchi's 3.30 fielding independent pitching (FIP) suggested he deserved better results, as does his expected ERA, which was 3.51 in 2020, per Baseball Savant.
However, it is the structure of Kikuchi's contract that lands him here. The Seattle Mariners will have just three days after the 2021 World Series to exercise a $66 million dollar club option that runs all the way through 2025. If they decline, Kikuchi would have a $13 million player option for 2022.ย
So either the Mariners lock themselves into a $66 million pact or risk losing a potential contributor to the rotation. That is a bit of an unenviable choice, especially for a team trying to build momentum and be more competitive.
Kikuchi could make this a hard decision with a strong 2021 campaign.
St. Louis Cardinals: Matt Carpenter
26 of 30
Matt Carpenter finished in the top 10 of the NL MVP voting just three years ago. He hit a career-high 36 homers with an .897 OPS, marking the sixth time in seven years with an OPS of at least .828 or higher.
The 35-year-old's value has since soured quite a bit. He hit just 15 homers with a .726 OPS in 2019. Things hardly got any better in 2020 as he hit .186 with a .640 OPS.ย
Additionally, Carpenter is becoming more of a defensive liability, ranking in the 20th percentile in outs above average this year, per Baseball Savant.
The St. Louis Cardinals are among the teams seemingly expressing a desire to limit costs. The Redbirds already declined Kolten Wong's club option, and it is not a guarantee they will re-sign franchise favorites Yadier Molina and Adam Wainwright.
It is a hindrance to being cost-effective when Carpenter is owed $18.5 million in 2021 with another $2 million guaranteed in 2022.
The Cardinals will need Carpenter to bounce back considering they ranked 14th in the NL in both runs scored and OPS last year. But he has regressed in consecutive years and is only getting older, which will not be helped by the fact he will either have to man the hot corner or play up the middle for St. Louis in 2021.
Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Kiermaier
27 of 30
Kevin Kiermaier's contract is another that looked like a pretty decent deal when he signed but has since lost value.
The Indiana native had a strong stretch when he arrived as the Tampa Bay Rays center fielder in 2014, giving the Rays a bit of left-handed pop while setting things in motion on the bases and playing one of the best defensive center fields in baseball.
Tampa Bay extended Kiermaier with a six-year, $53.5 million deal in 2017, and though he struggled with injuries, he hit 15 homers and stole 16 bases with a .788 OPS in 98 games.
But Kiermaier's fairly steady offensive value has waned. He dealt with more injuries in 2018, slumping to a career-worst .653 OPS. He won a Gold Glove in 2019, but he also had the lowest wRC+ (78) of his career. The 30-year-old hit .217 in 2020, and his .290 batting average on balls in play (BABIP) suggests he got lucky.
Kiermaier is owed $25.83 million through 2023 with a club option in the third and final year. Meanwhile, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported the Rays have floated trading him.
Despite his defensive value, Kiermaier might be deemed too expensive for many teams as a light-hitting center fielder who has dealt with plenty of injuries in recent years. That could be problematic for Tampa Bay as it looks to free up payroll.
Texas Rangers: Rougned Odor
28 of 30
Rougned Odor has not resembled anything the Texas Rangers hoped he would when he first broke into the majors.
The 26-year-old was a promising talent back in 2015 and 2016, and he clubbed 33 homers in the latter. He can still hit the ball out of the park, but that's really about it.
Odor has a .289 career OBP. He converted just half his stolen base attempts in 2018, with his 12 failed attempts leading the AL. Just one year later, he led the AL with 178 strikeouts. This past season, he hit only .167 with a career-worst 31.8 percent strikeout rate.ย
Texas owes Odor $24.66 million over the next two seasons with a $3 million buyout in 2023. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reported the Rangers were "somewhat aggressively" trying to do a money swap involving Odor prior to the August deadline, but to no avail.
Alas, the Rangers are running out of options with Odor, who might just be dead weight after producing only 0.9 fWAR since 2017.
Toronto Blue Jays: Randal Grichuk
29 of 30
Randal Grichuk's selection has more to do with one of the stars the Toronto Blue Jays are pursuing in free agency.
Shi Davidi of Sportsnet has reported Toronto is showing interest in George Springer this winter. Springer is one of the best center fielders in baseball, and any team would love to have him. But he would also render Grichuk useless.
The Blue Jays already have Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Teoscar Hernandez in the corner outfield spots. Cavan Biggio can also play one of the outfield positions if so ordered. Thus, signing Springer would result in the Blue Jays likely paying Grichuk $10.33 million per year (for the next three seasons) to sit on the bench.
Of course, the Blue Jays might not end up with Springer. They could also try to flip Grichuk, whose power numbers should at least generate some level of interest.
Additionally, if Grichuk is the starting center fielder in 2021, he would still be a defensive liability who has generated relatively inconsistent value at the plate. That might not be worth the nearly $31 million guaranteed he's owed over the next three years anyway.
Washington Nationals: Patrick Corbin
30 of 30
The Washington Nationals have a number of suspect deals.
Will Harris is owed $16 million in the next two years after posting a 1.70 WHIP and a 5.22 expected ERA, per Baseball Savant. Daniel Hudson (6.10 ERA and five blown saves) does not look worth anything close to $6 million after the year he just had.
Meanwhile, Stephen Strasburg's new deal got off to a bad start after the World Series MVP missed nearly the entirety of the 2020 season.
But let's take a closer look at Patrick Corbin.
The left-hander was instrumental in Washington's World Series run in 2019, going 14-7 with a 3.25 ERA in the regular season before starting and pitching out of the bullpen during the postseason. But 2020 was ugly on multiple levels.
Corbin had a 4.66 ERA and gave up an MLB-high 85 hits in 65.2 innings. More notably, he lost over a full tick in velocity on both his four-seamer and his sinker, with an even larger drop on the slider and changeup. As a result, his strikeouts per nine innings fell from 10.6 in 2019 to 8.2 in 2020.
This would hardly be an ideal time for Corbin to start declining since the Nats owe him $107.66 million in the next four years.
The 31-year-old is still being counted on as a staple in the rotation. But a drop in velocity and effectiveness is cause for concern for the Nats, especially since Corbin's deal is back-loaded and the team must pay him $35.4 million in 2024.
It will also be vital to see how Strasburg responds after undergoing carpal tunnel surgery. But for now, Corbin has the more worrisome deal.
All stats obtained via Baseball Reference, FanGraphs or Baseball Savant, unless otherwise noted. All contract information obtained via Baseball Reference, unless otherwise noted.
.jpg?w=480 "MLB Farm System Rankings")
.jpg?w=600 "Offseason Moves for Every Team ๐")
.png?w=600 "New NBA Mock Draft ๐")
