MLB Power Rankings: The worst contract on every team’s roster

5) MLB Power Rankings: Kansas City Royals, Jordan Lyles

This is one of those head-scratching contracts. The Kansas City Royals signed Jordan Lyles to a two-year deal worth $17 million this offseason. It’s not bad money. Lyles can eat innings. Why two years, though? He is capable of being a complete waste of their time. This is a pitcher that led the American League in earned runs allowed in 2020 and 2021. At least Kyle Gibson was signed as Baltimore Orioles replacement for only one season.

4) MLB Power Rankings: New York Yankees, Giancarlo Stanton

Giancarlo Stanton and his contract couldn’t be much different from what the Kansas City Royals are paying Jordan Lyles. Nonetheless, he comes right after him on this week’s MLB Power Rankings. The distance is pretty large with the New York Yankees slugger as the first of four way too pricey players. When Stanton is healthy, he has been a solid member of the Yankees lineup. Health has been infrequent. What’s regular is the insane amount of money still remaining on his contract. From 2023-2025, the Yankees will pay him $32 million. The last three years which includes a buyout in 2028 has $64 million more guaranteed with the Marlins chipping in $10 million each year. They’ll cover his buyout in the final year.

3) MLB Power Rankings: Milwaukee Brewers, Christian Yelich

Let’s complete the trifecta. The once young and talented Miami Marlins outfielders who were all traded away have made this week’s MLB Power Rankings for all of the wrong reasons. Christian Yelich, another MVP in his glory days, has fallen on hard times—not before getting paid a huge deal by the Milwaukee Brewers. Yelich has $162.5 million left on his deal with the 2029 season including a $6.5 million buyout. Following his first two years in Milwaukee, Yelich is a .243/.358/.388 hitter. His 35 home runs is lower than the 36 he hit in 2018 and 44 from 2019. In case you forgot, he won batting titles in each of those seasons, too.

2) MLB Power Rankings: Los Angeles Angels, Anthony Rendon

Our penultimate worst contract belongs to Anthony Rendon. His deal is awful for a lot of the same reasons some of our top ones are. Following a productive and healthy 2020 season with the Los Angeles Angels, Rendon has missed a ton of time over these last two years. He played in 58 games in 2021 while batting .240. Last season, he added 47 more games but hit .229. His contract already has some light at the end but comes at a cost of over $38.5 million in each of the next four seasons. So much missed time in what should have been his prime has already made this one of the worst Angels contracts of all-time. We all know there have been plenty in recent years.

1) MLB Power Rankings: Washington Nationals, Stephen Strasburg

The worst Washington Nationals contract isn’t Patrick Corbin, as awful as it is. No, the worst one belongs to a fan favorite and hero. Stephen Strasburg gave the team all he had in 2019. He has made only 8 starts since. Without factoring in any of the deferred money, Strasburg’s deal is worth another $140 million over the next four seasons. For a guy the team isn’t sure will even take the field, it’s a huge gut punch for one of the most important players the team has ever employed. His 2019 World Series MVP was the pinnacle of his career. Every dollar he has earned since could be thought of as a reward for changing the franchise’s history. This doesn’t save it from being number one in this week’s MLB Power Rankings.