MLB Power Rankings of the worst contract on every team’s roster.
This week’s MLB Power Rankings will take a look at a topic every fan loves: money. How much. How long. How many zeros follow the dollar sign. It’s a subject every fan knows and cares about a lot more than we used to.
In Major League Baseball, where there is no salary cap, many contracts have gotten a little out of control at times. General Managers get the seal of approval from owners willing to pay the price if things don’t work out.
To determine the worst contract on each team’s active roster, there are a couple of considerations. Is the player going to live up to the money he’s still owed? At the time the contract was signed, did it make sense? Considering those factors and more, this is the worst contract on every MLB team’s roster. Players must be employed by the team to make this week’s MLB Power Rankings. Sorry, Bobby Bonilla. You’ll get your check, but you’re not making this list because you aren’t on the roster.
30) MLB Power Rankings: Cleveland Guardians, Josh Bell
The Cleveland Guardians don’t really have any bad contracts unless you want to consider the lack of extension on Shane Bieber’s deal worthy. Their newest big free agent signing might be one of the worst on the books and it’s not really all that bad. Josh Bell signed for two years with a player option in the second season. Each contract is worth $16.5 million which might be only slightly overpriced. It really depends on which version of Bell shows up for Cleveland this season.
29) MLB Power Rankings: Tampa Bay Rays, Tyler Glasnow
There is one thing that makes Tyler Glasnow’s contract with the Tampa Bay Rays their worst. Is he ever going to pitch? Perpetually injured, Glasnow has never made more than 14 starts in a single season. His deal pays him $5.35 million in 2023 then jumps all the way up to $25 million in 2024. By that point, Glasnow could be completely healthy or a guy the Rays are desperate to trade to clear some salary space.
28) MLB Power Rankings: Texas Rangers, Jacob deGrom
Injuries definitely make contracts look worse. The Texas Rangers looked past Jacob deGrom missing a lot of time over the last two years and signed him to a massive deal this offseason. A contract that runs through at least 2027 with a mutual option in his age 40 season in 2028, the Rangers might be paying Hall of Fame money for a guy who routinely misses time. His contract is far from one of the worst in this week’s MLB Power Rankings because if things do go well it’s going to be a smart one.
27) MLB Power Rankings: Houston Astros, Rafael Montero
A little bit of irony: Rafael Montero was once regarded as the better New York Mets pitching prospect when compared to Jacob deGrom. We know how that turned out. Both got paid this offseason with Rafael Montero receiving a three-year contract from the Houston Astros. Each season includes $11.5 million. It’s a lot of money for a guy with a thin resume.
26) MLB Power Rankings: San Diego Padres, Fernando Tatis Jr.
All across North America, you’ll find tourist traps. The World’s Biggest Question Mark is definitely somewhere out there in the Midwest. It mine as well get carried around by Fernando Tatis Jr. His massive $340 million deal remains in its infancy. The San Diego Padres have already seen him get injured off the field and receive a suspension for PEDs. The talent is there. The decision-making, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to be present.
25) MLB Power Rankings: New York Mets, Carlos Carrasco
At just $14 million for one more season, the worst New York Mets contract they have on the book belongs to Carlos Carrasco. The veteran pitcher acquired alongside Francisco Lindor in the trade with Cleveland back in 2021, his deal is lunch money for Steve Cohen.
24) MLB Power Rankings: Minnesota Twins, Byron Buxton
The Minnesota Twins probably did need to award Byron Buxton with his big deal. However, with parts of 8 MLB seasons under his belt and only one year of reaching 100 games, it’s looking like the Twins have a guy who may never reach his full potential. Buxton’s contract is heavily incentive-based with up to $11 million extra available through the deal each season. If he doesn’t reach them, Minnesota owes him a little over $15 million which may still go to waste if he can’t stay on the field.
23) MLB Power Rankings: Los Angeles Dodgers, Chris Taylor
Chris Taylor might not be the player the Los Angeles Dodgers are paying him to be. He had a rough 2022 season while taking home $15 million. His contract isn’t outrageous with another $15 million in 2023 and two $13 million paydays in 2024 and 2025. The $12 million team option in 2026 with a $4 million buyout for 2026 offers the Dodgers a little protection. Frankly, the Dodgers have been pretty good with money. Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts are getting paid a ton but performing.
22) MLB Power Rankings: San Francisco Giants, Taylor Rogers
The San Francisco Giants have a couple of contracts that definitely look like they could be a waste of everyone’s time. Giving Taylor Rogers $33 million over the next three years feels like it could be a mistake. He’s coming off of a very bad year and has been far from one of the better closers in baseball. In fact, many of his best years came before he was routinely saving games.
21) MLB Power Rankings: Pittsburgh Pirates, Carlos Santana
Give the Pittsburgh Pirates credit for spending money. They’ve actually handed out some bags of cash, but the $6.75 million Carlos Santana will get this year feels like a questionable contract. The nearly 37-year-old first baseman batted only .202 last year. Well beyond his prime, the Pirates may have actually benefited more from saving the money and ponying up serious bucks to retain Bryan Reynolds.
20) MLB Power Rankings: Chicago Cubs, Kyle Hendricks
The Dansby Swanson contract has potential to turn into a disaster. The same could be said for Seiya Suzuki. However, the worst Chicago Cubs contract belongs to Kyle Hendricks. Owed $14 million this year with a $1.5 million buyout he’ll likely receive next season, poor health has caught up to Hendricks. It has turned his once-friendly deal into an enemy.
19) MLB Power Rankings: Cincinnati Reds, Joey Votto
It’s kind of amazing to see how the Joey Votto contract has unfolded. For years, the Cincinnati Reds have been paying him a whole lot of money while the team hasn’t achieved all that much. It mercifully comes to a close after one more year of giving him $25 million and a $7 million buyout afterwards. Surely, the Reds knew this is how it would end. It doesn’t make it seem much better.
18) MLB Power Rankings: Oakland Athletics, Aledmys Diaz
There aren’t any big Oakland Athletics contracts on the roster. They did, however, sign Aledmys Diaz to a two-year contract worth $14.5 million this offseason. Will it handicap the franchise? We should applaud the Athletics for spending on any players at all. Diaz, a quality part-time player, just isn’t the one to do it with.
17) MLB Power Rankings: Philadelphia Phillies, Nick Castellanos
There is a chance Philadelphia Phillies slugger Nick Castellanos turns things around. His contract is only one year deep, but if he’s going to play like he did in 2022, the Phillies are in trouble. Castellanos went from hitting 34 home runs and driving in 100 to smacking 13 dingers and driving in 62. Philadelphia has another $80 million owed to him over the next four years. Although they haven’t been afraid to spend in other places, this one may eventually prevent them from making other moves.
16) MLB Power Rankings: Seattle Mariners, J.P. Crawford
The J.P. Crawford extension isn’t turning out the way the Seattle Mariners intended. His bat hasn’t improved all that much since coming to Seattle. He’s a good fielder and a bottom of the order bat. The Mariners will have to hope for more because his contract has another $45 million remaining on it over four years.
15) MLB Power Rankings: Baltimore Orioles, Kyle Gibson
Kyle Gibson? The Baltimore Orioles are paying the veteran pitcher $10 million to come over this year and help them do what, exactly? Gibson is a fifth starter at best and probably more of a depth piece to use in emergency situations. This was not a winning move by a team heading in the right direction. Fans should be frustrated by it.
14) MLB Power Rankings: Toronto Blue Jays, Yusei Kikuchi
Yusei Kikuchi never lived up to his contract during his three years with the Seattle Mariners. Even at a lesser price, he’s failing to do it with the Toronto Blue Jays. Only $20 million over the next two years is owed, however, it’s far too much for a guy producing a lifetime 5.02 ERA. Kikuchi spent plenty of time in the Toronto bullpen last season, too. This one just isn’t working out. They should have known better.
13) MLB Power Rankings: Arizona Diamondbacks, Madison Bumgarner
When the Arizona Diamondbacks signed Madison Bumgarner they apparently thought they didn’t need to do much else. He has had three pretty awful years for the Diamondbacks thus far. There is nothing to suggest the last two will be any better. Arizona is on the hook for $37 million more before it finally ends.
12) MLB Power Rankings: Colorado Rockies, Antonio Senzatela
There are actually quite a few worthy Colorado Rockies contracts for this list. The Kris Bryant contract might be impossible for him to live up to. The Kyle Freeland deal isn’t so great either. It’s the Antonio Senzatela contract that feels surest to age poorly. Now 39-42 with a 4.88 ERA in his career, his 101 ERA+ suggests he’s an average pitcher. The Rockies will hope he’s better than that. They have $7.25 million to pay him this year and a guaranteed $36 million more over the next three seasons.
11) MLB Power Rankings: St. Louis Cardinals, Steven Matz
When the St. Louis Cardinals signed Steven Matz last offseason they must not have looked at his complete resume. He was very good for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2021. During his years with the New York Mets, he was an average at best pitcher and often worse. He had trouble staying on the field throughout the 2022 season. When he did, Matz gave the Cardinals a 5.25 ERA as a starter and reliever across only 48 innings. Matz’s contract includes three more seasons and another $35.5 million.
10) MLB Power Rankings: Atlanta Braves, Marcell Ozuna
Marcell Ozuna isn’t completely holding the Atlanta Braves back but the last two seasons have been pretty bad. His contract includes another $18 million each over the next two seasons plus a $1 million buyout in 2025. His monster 2020 season feels like fake news after the abysmal 2021 and 2022 campaigns he has produced.
9) MLB Power Rankings: Miami Marlins, Avisail Garcia
Avisail Garcia has completely disappeared as a member of the Miami Marlins. He capitalized on a very good year with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2021 only to turn into a pumpkin during season one in Miami. Garcia hit .224/.266/.317 in his 98 games for the Marlins last year. For $12 million, it could scare the Marlins from never spending again. Unfortunately, they will pay him $12 million in each of the next three seasons before a team option and $5 million buyout comes up in 2026.
8) MLB Power Rankings: Boston Red Sox, Chris Sale
The problem with the Chris Sale contract is two-fold. The Red Sox have benefitted from having him on the roster already. For two seasons, especially his first year in Boston, Sale was awesome. Then came the injuries. And the struggling. Sale has made only 11 starts post-2019. His contract included $90 million over that period. There is still another $55 million owed to him over the next two years. The sun will set one day.
7) MLB Power Rankings: Detroit Tigers, Javier Baez
Javier Baez has an opt out in his contract after the 2023 season he’s probably already thinking about not using. His first season with the Detroit Tigers was an epic $20 million disaster. There’s another $120 million owed to him over the next five years. The Tigers should have known better than to go so nuts paying a player with such poor plate discipline.
6) MLB Power Rankings: Chicago White Sox, Yoan Moncada
Yoan Moncada misses those juiced 2019 baseballs. He hit .315/.367/.548 for the Chicago White Sox that year while adding 25 home runs and 79 RBI. No other year in his career is close. He happens to have the worst White Sox contract of all. The team will pay him $17.8 million in 2023, another $24.8 million in 2024, and then they have a choice of paying him $25 million or buying him out for $5 million. This feels like an easy choice.
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.