MLB Free Agency: Fielding the Most Overpaid Roster in Baseball

With another massive contract being handed out this past week as Albert Pujols inked a 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels, you can't help but think about how it stacks up against others.

A player's value to their team is determined by more than just wins and losses, more than home runs and RBI.

With great compensation comes great expectations though, as some of the biggest contracts of them all are positioned to fail from the moment they're signed.

Here are the most inflated contracts at each position in the game today.

Starting Pitcher: Barry Zito

Current Contract: Seven years, $126 million

After striking out more than 200 batters in 2001 and winning the AL Cy Young award in 2002, Barry Zito was well on his way to becoming one of the few elite pitchers in the game.

He would win 55 more games and make two All-Star appearances in four more seasons before signing a seven-year, $126 million contract with the San Francisco Giants.

Zito has since fallen out of favor in San Francisco, losing 61 games in five seasons while winning only 12 in the past two seasons and twice posting an ERA above 5.00.

Relief Pitcher: Jonathan Papelbon

Current Contract: Four years, $50 million

Jonathan Papelbon has four times posted an ERA below 2.50 while saving an average of 36 games per season and making a big impact in the Red Sox bullpen during his time in Boston.

He now moves onto Philadelphia after signing a four-year, $50 million contract, making him the second highest paid relief pitcher behind Mariano Rivera.

Papelbon may very well win over the Phillies fans over the next four years, but it just seems like Mariano Rivera is the only reliever in the game who should be making Mariano Rivera money.

Catcher: Joe Mauer

Current Contract: Eight years, $184 million

Fans in Minnesota love that newly engaged Joe Mauer is a hometown boy and has enjoyed success in the same state he grew up in.

But the reality is, his contract accounts for nearly 25 percent of the team's payroll, and his passive attitude towards rehabilitating from injury is starting to call his value into question.

He's had enough of a track record as a hitter in this league to think he'll bounce back to the top of the league in batting average, but his lack of power and the growing likelihood that he'll switch to a less taxing position make it hard to believe he'll live up to the $184 million paycheck he's earning.

First Base: Ryan Howard

Current Contract: Five years, $125 million

Knowing that Ryan Howard isn't a man who will hit for average and contact, it's easy to see his value lies in power numbers.

But despite all the home runs he hits and RBI he racks up, he's still being given a sum of money well more than he's worth.

Howard's new contract will pay him $20 million annually the first two years and will pay him $25 million the final three years, meaning he'll earn $25 million as a 36-year-old with likely diminishing power.

Second Base: Brian Roberts

Current Contract: Four years, $40 million

Since signing a four-year, $40 million contract extension with the Baltimore Orioles, Brian Roberts has played in exactly 98 games, hit seven home runs and driven in 34 RBI.

To top that off, he's batted more than 30 points below his career average since signing the contract. Safe to say he's not earning much of the $10 million he's being paid.

Third Base: Alex Rodriguez

Current Contract: 10 years, $275 million

We've seen Alex Rodriguez's numbers come down a bit since he won his last MVP trophy in 2007, but since 2008 he's still managed to average nearly 30 home runs and 100 RBI per season while earning an OPS near .900 and OBP of .375.

With A-Rod turning 37 next summer, I wouldn't be surprised if we never saw another 50 (or even 40)-home run season from him.

The fact that he could be considered overpaid isn't necessarily a testament to his numbers, but more so the fact that $30-plus million per year is just too much for anyone in the game.

Shortstop: Derek Jeter

Current contract: Three years, $51 million

Derek Jeter's career attributes will certainly put him in the Hall of Fame some day, and he's unquestionably one of the best to ever put on a Yankees uniform.

From 2005 to 2009, Jeter averaged more than 200 hits and 75 RBI per season, while batting .322 during that time frame.

With declining numbers in 2010, the Yankees still gave Jeter a three-year, $51 million contract extension prior to the 2011 season, a season in which he'd see his stats continue to fall as he'd play in the fewest games and rack up the fewest hits in nearly a decade.

Left Field: Vernon Wells

Current Contract: Seven years, $126 million

The Toronto Blue Jays are still thanking the Los Angeles Angels for taking Vernon Wells and his $126 million contract off their hands.

Since signing his mega deal, Wells has batted only .262 (including an abysmal .218 this past season) and has only once reached 80 RBI.

Center Field: Alex Rios

Current Contract: Seven years, $70 million

The $70 million contract Alex Rios is playing under is just another bad contract the Blue Jays gave out that was taken on by another organization.

Since coming over to the Chicago White Sox, Rios is batting 35 points lower (.250) than in Toronto with an OPS more than 100 points lower (.685).

Right Field: Jayson Werth

Current Contract: Seven years, $126 million

With 2009 and 2010 (.282 BA, 64 HR, 184 RBI) as Werth's most significantly successful seasons, the Washington Nationals caused many to scratch their heads in signing Werth to a seven-year, $126 million contract.

Werth's reward to Nationals fans in 2011 was a season in which he batted .232, drove in only 58 runs and struck out a career-high 160 times.

Designated Hitter: Adam Dunn

Current Contract: Four years, $56 million

When the Chicago White Sox signed Adam Dunn to a four-year, $56 million contract prior to the 2011 season, they anticipated him being a powerful compliment to Paul Konerko's bat in the lineup.

Things didn't go as planned, as Dunn batted an awful .159 this season and hit only 11 home runs, a more than 70-percent drop from 2010 when he went deep 38 times.