MLB Power Rankings: The Most Overpaid Player on Each Team
Major League Baseball is known for one thing on the finance front, and that is the lack of a salary cap. As the result of this, there are many contracts given out that are just flat-out ridiculous. For example, if I made as much in a year as Alex Rodriguez made in a game, I would be set for life.
Due to the lack of a salary cap, many players are greatly overpaid for their efforts. Before you say anything about Yankee bias, every team is guilty of overpaying at least one player on their roster, including the small-market teams.
Who are the most overpaid players in baseball, period? That's a question for debate. Who are the most overpaid players on each of the 30 MLB teams? That's a question that will be answered right now.
Baltimore Orioles: Brian Roberts
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This one I could see people arguing about, since Roberts has been a key part of the Orioles' franchise for some time. The problem is that he's being paid $10 million per year, second highest on the team, and has not been playing at that level.
He played in 59 games in 2010, and while he had a good season in 2009 and was rewarded with that four-year, $40 million deal, he seems like he's on the way down as a player. He has to return to his peak form in 2011 to convince me he's not overpaid currently.
Boston Red Sox: Josh Beckett
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This was actually a tough one. The two players who will be paid the most in 2011 are Josh Beckett and John Lackey, and both are entirely deserving of this non-honor. Both had great 2007 seasons, and both have eerily similar career totals
Josh Beckett had a terrible 2010 and didn't deserve even half the money he was paid that year. He was supposed to help lead the young guys after a great 2009, but instead went 6-6 with a 5.78 ERA. However, he had one bad year and has been good for the Red Sox otherwise.
Lackey had a mediocre 2010, going 14-11 with a 4.40 ERA. I actually see him as less likely to bounce back and less likely to have a season like 2007 again. Despite this, I am narrowly going with Beckett because he was entirely useless last year.
New York Yankees: Alex Rodriguez
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If you're making $30 million or so a year, then you need to be either MVP every year or at least in the discussion. A-Rod has not been quite there the past couple years, so he lands on this roster.
He is projected to make $31 million in 2011. To answer my question in the lead slide, he makes, give or take, around $190,000 a game this year. That's insane, especially for a guy who finished 15th in MVP voting.
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Tampa Bay Rays: Johnny Damon
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This is difficult, only because the Rays unloaded all their big contracts, so I can't use Carlos Pena here. After an eight home run, 1.6 WAR season, Johnny Damon is joining the Rays as the team's highest-paid player and the only one making over $5 million a year.
By comparison, Evan Longoria and Manny Ramirez will be making $2 million this year. Maybe Johnny Damon can find one more good year in him; he's about two and a half seasons away from 3,000 hits if he's in the lineup everyday, so perhaps the Rays are banking on that surge.
Toronto Blue Jays: Jose Bautista
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Unfortunately for me, the Blue Jays traded Vernon Wells, so I can't lay into him and his contract on this slideshow. Instead, I'll pick the player who got the most controversial contract in some time, Jose Bautista.
Bautista had an amazing season in 2010 and will be paid $8 million this year and $14 million a year for four more years. If he can have half the production he did this year, the eight million is solid. I still don't think he was deserving of all that for one season of home runs, though.
Chicago White Sox: Jake Peavy
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For as much as people argue about the Rockies being where hitters come alive, the exact same is true in San Diego for pitchers. We're seeing this with Jake Peavy right now, who will make $16 million this year, leading the team.
Peavy was a monster in San Diego for the Padres, winning the Cy Young and being a key part of the team. When he joined the White Sox after being traded, he suddenly became an average pitcher, going 7-6 with a 4.63 ERA in 2010. I don't see him doing much better than that this year, either.
Cleveland Indians: Travis Hafner
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Here's an easy one. Grady Sizemore is struggling with health issues and is making $7.5 million in 2011. Hafner, on the other hand, has no excuse for his struggles and is making $13 million this year.
Over the past three seasons, Hafner has played in 269 games and has a .259 average, 34 home runs, 116 RBI, and 216 strikeouts. Those would be okay stats for a DH in one season, but in three? Maybe that's why the Indians never pay anyone.
Detroit Tigers: Carlos Guillen
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At $20 million a year, Miguel Cabrera is easily the highest paid Detroit Tiger, and rightfully so, despite the current alcohol issues. In second place is the $13 million deal of Carlos Guillen.
Guillen's problem is that he hasn't been healthy the past two years, only playing in 149 games. However, even when playing he has not been very good, barely able to keep his WAR above zero. I see him finishing out the season and maybe getting one more chance with another team, but at 35, his career may be nearly done.
Kansas City Royals: Kyle Davies
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When Gil Meche retired and gave his salary back to the club, that made it a lot harder to decide on who's overpaid. After all, Joakim Soria's $4 million contract for 2011 is the club's highest, so who do we pick?
Kyle Davies is the third highest-paid player on the team and is the only starting pitcher making over $3 million. With that, you would expect better than an 8-12 record with a 5.34 ERA in 2010, which is actually better than his career ERA of 5.49. Those are numbers you pay six figures for, not three million.
Minnesota Twins: Michael Cuddyer
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There are four players on the Twins who will make eight figures in 2011. The first three, Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, and Joe Nathan, are all proven winners who deserve the money, even if Nathan is recovering from Tommy John surgery.
The fourth is Cuddyer, and a surface look at the stats may make him seem deserving. He has a very good bat and filled in decently for Morneau when he was out. The problem, however, is that he is a terrible fielder. His career defensive WAR total is -6.5. Yes, he costs Twins games with how he plays out there in right field.
He's more deserving of a $5 million deal for his bat, then they can give that other five to Liriano.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Vernon Wells
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Why did the Angels agree to take on this behemoth of a contract again? Yes, Wells is a pretty good hitter, but so is Cuddyer, and he makes half as much. It's always nice to have 31 home runs in your lineup, but it's also nice to not have to spend $18 million on that for this season.
Scott Kazmir lucked out with this acquisition; otherwise, his contract and near-6.00 ERA would be on display for all to see.
Oakland Athletics: Coco Crisp
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The A's were tough, since they may be the only team in the league that doesn't have any ridiculous contracts laying around; most of their moves are very sound.
I did not want to include Crisp on this list, but he's the most overpaid on a team that doesn't really overpay anybody. After playing in 49 games for Kansas City in 2009, he played in 75 games for Oakland in 2010 and will be paid $5.75 million in 2011, one of the highest totals.
If he plays every game and performs well, then he could exceed that contract; he's one of the few on this list I think could easily prove me wrong next year, and he's more than welcome to do that.
Seattle Mariners: Milton Bradley
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Do I really need to explain this one? Let's see...Felix Hernandez, the guy who won the Cy Young, will make $10 million this year, while Mr. Bradley, who played 73 games last year, was ineffective in them, and can't seem to keep his head on straight, will make $12 million. What's impressive is that teams still pay him.
Texas Rangers: Adrian Beltre
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Whoever signed Beltre this year was going to have him on this list, and it happens to be the Rangers. He only plays well in contract years, as he has proven. If the Rangers want to pay $14 million plus for a .270/25/85 guy then more power to them, because that's what they'll get.
Atlanta Braves: Kenshin Kawakami
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The Braves have two very overpaid players on their roster. The question of who is more overpaid depends on whether you prefer hitting or pitching. Kenshin Kawakami will make $6.67 million in 2011 after going 1-10 last year with a 5.15 ERA.
The second possibility is Nate McLouth, who will make $6.5 million this year and hit .190 in 85 games. I think Kawakami's losses over half the season were more damaging, so he gets the nod here. Either way, both were awful last year.
Florida Marlins: Javier Vazquez
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Like the A's, the Florida Marlins are usually very good with money. The two players with the biggest deals are Hanley Ramirez and Josh Johnson, their top hitter and top pitcher, so they know who to give the money to, usually.
The third-highest was signed as a free agent after going 10-10 with a 5.32 ERA for the Yankees, Javier Vazquez. Signing him to a one-year deal to see if he can go is fine, but $7 million? They must expect a return to 2009 form to pay him that much.
New York Mets: Jason Bay
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Where to begin with the New York Mets? Gary Matthews, Jr. would have gotten the nod, but the Angels paid most of his salary while he was on the Mets. Carlos Beltran's contract has been criticized, but when healthy, he can post good numbers. Oliver Perez has stunk and would have made the list if he played on half the other teams, but he only has one year left on his deal.
Jason Bay is the complete package of being overpaid. He's got four years left on his deal, including $16 million in 2011. He was not very impressive in 95 games for the Mets, and it already seems like there's no way for him to play tot he value of the contract even if he does rebound.
Philadelphia Phillies: Raul Ibanez
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When you look at the Phillies' highest-paid players, there is a slew of great talent. Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Roy Oswalt, and Raul Ibanez.
Wait, what? Yes, after finally playing great baseball in Seattle, Ibanez signed a hefty contract with the Phillies, and he'll make $11.5 in the final year of it. The problem with this is that his production took a big drop in 2010, and he'll turn 39 in June. It seems that he likely won't live up to the final year of the contract, though the deal wasn't horrible like others on the list, just not that good.
Washington Nationals: Jason Marquis
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Jayson Werth might be the popular choice for this deal, but I'll pass on this for two reasons. First, I'm willing to see how he does for a year or two before putting him here. Second, while he was overpaid, Marquis was far, far more overpaid.
Marquis went 15-13 in Colorado in 2009 with a 4.04 ERA, so the Nats signed him to a two-year, $15 million deal. On the surface, that sounds entirely fine; if he did that well in Colorado, then he'd do very well elsewhere. Alas, that was not the case.
In 2010, Marquis made 13 starts and went 2-9 with a 6.60 ERA, and in 2011, he'll be one of the most expensive back-end starters in the game. Then again, at least he's not injured right now.
Chicago Cubs: Alfonso Soriano
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The Chicago Cubs were the hardest of the 30 to pick. This is not because they don't overpay people though. To the contrary, there are so many options that it's hard to choose.
They paid Carlos Pena $10 million despite a sub-.200 average last year. Carlos Zambrano makes nearly $20 million despite big issues this past season and a stay in the bullpen. Aramis Ramirez was playing well and earning his contract until 2010, when he crashed. The hype on Kosuke Fukudome wore off a long time ago.
Despite all that, none of them are the most overpaid. That non-honor belongs to Alfonso Soriano. After a career year in 2006, the Cubs signed him to an 8-year, $136 million deal. He had a good 2007, but had been decent at best the past three years.
If we could knock off the one on the yearly salary he gets ($18 million to $8), the Cubs and their fans would be a lot happier.
Cincinnati Reds: Francisco Cordero
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There are not too many options for the Reds here, as only a few have hefty contracts: Branson Arroyo, Brandon Phillips, and Francisco Cordero. Of those three, I would take the highest-pais one, which is Cordero, who will make $12 million in 2011.
While he's been solid for the Reds as a closer, with that money you would want an elite closer. A 6-5 record with a 3.84 ERA and 40 saves, and 59 strikeouts in 72 innings is good, but those are not elite numbers. There were several relievers on the market who could have gotten those same stats for half price, namely Brian Fuentes.
As long as he keeps his ERA below four, it's not a big deal if he gets paid that much.
Houston Astros: Carlos Lee
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Here's another easy one, mainly because Lee makes over twice as much as anyone else on the team. Despite that, he has fallen victim to what is known as diminishing skills. His average fell from .300 to under .250, he's not driving in runs as often, and he's just not the player he once was.
A guy who makes $18.5 million but hits .300 with 30 homers and 120 RBI is fine. Knock 50 points off the average, though, and there's a problem.
Milwaukee Brewers: Randy Wolf
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Zach Greinke makes the most of any Brewers pitcher, at $13.5 million this season. You would think that Yovani Gallardo or Shaun Marcum is next on that list, but combined, they make less than the fourth guy in the rotation, Randy Wolf.
Wolf was a workhorse for the Brewers last year, going 13-12 with a 4.17 ERA. However, the Brewers were paying for the much better pitching he put up with the Dodgers in 2009. Now, they are essentially paying nearly $10 million for their fourth pitcher, which is not exactly a good investment.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Chris Snyder
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The Pittsburgh Pirates have so many issues that you could arguing anyone making seven figures is overpaid. Ross Ohlendorf would be the easy choice here, but his $2 million salary this year is not Pittsburgh's fault, so they get a pass.
Instead, I choose the highest-paid player, Chris Snyder. He, along with Paul Maholm, make over $5 million a year, yet in 40 games for the Pirates, Snyder hit .169. Yes, a guy with that batting average makes the most money. No wonder the Pirates have problems.
St. Louis Cardinals: Kyle Lohse
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The Cardinals pay four players eight figures a year. Three of them, Matt Holliday, Albert Pujols, and Chris Carpenter, are entirely deserving of their salary. Kyle Lohse, on the other hand, is not, despite being that fourth person.
Lohse makes nearly $12 million this year, yet in 2009 went 6-10 and in 2010 went 4-8 with a 6.55 ERA. With the injury to Adam Wainwright, Lohse is likely stuck in the rotation, so he has the opportunity to bounce back and actually play to the value of his contract. He was good in 2008, so who knows what happened?
Arizona Diamondbacks: Joe Saunders
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I think Saunders is one of those people who can prove me wrong, since 2010 seemed to be an off year for him. Nonetheless, the Diamondbacks are paying him $5.5 million, and so far, he has a 3-7 record in Arizona to show for it.
He played well for the Angels in 2008 and 2009, so he has the stuff. It's just a question of whether or not he can make it work this year.
Colorado Rockies: Todd Helton
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Like Carlos Lee's deal, this one seemed like a good idea at the time, but Helton is now suffering from diminishing skills. His average and power have completely fizzled, yet he is going to make around $19 million this year. It's insane, but with how much he did for Colorado in years prior, maybe it cancels out. At least that's what the Rockies can tell themselves.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Rafael Furcal
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As much as I was pushing for him to be a part of the 2010 All-Star Game (which he was), Furcal is the surprisingly easy choice for most overpaid. He earns $12 million in 2011, which leads the team along with Hiroki Kuroda, and he can't seem to stay healthy.
In 2008, he played 36 games, and in 2010, he played 97 games. When he was actually healthy in 2009, he was just okay. Who knows which Furcal will show up for the Dodgers this year. If the healthy and productive version can show up, then he wont be overpaid, but we haven't seen that since 2006.
San Diego Padres: Ryan Ludwick
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With how little money the Padres spend, I was expecting it to be harder to find a hefty contract. Instead, the answer to the Padres' most overpaid player was very clear.
Ryan Ludwick, who will make more than anyone besides Heath Bell this year, has played 59 games for the Padres while hitting .211. Even for the Padres, that's a pretty bad average. Even if he can get that back up to the .260s the Padres will take it, especially since they have pretty much no hitting going into this year.
San Francisco Giants: Barry Zito
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Somewhere, at some time, a college student has found an idea for a thesis. He writes about Barry Zito's contract and how overpaid he is. The page count is no problem as everyone has written about his contract, and he is able to find a myriad of sources with ease. He gets an A, and Barry Zito's contract was at least useful to someone besides Zito.
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