The worst MLB free agency contracts that are still haunting their teams

Which players sign where in MLB free agency is only half the story. So often, the juiciest storylines involve the teams that couldn't sign a major free agent — and why.

The MLB offseason is a constant balancing act for front offices. Balancing team needs, ownership's budget, fan expectations, prominent voices in the clubhouse, and so many factors we can't even begin to fully comprehend. That said, it becomes much harder for even the best front offices to do business when their cap sheet is weighed down by an unfortunate misallocation of resources. These are the albatross contracts that feel especially back-breaking in 2026:

LHP Eduardo Rodriguez, Arizona Diamondbacks

Remaining contract:

When Eduardo Rodriguez inked his four-year, $80 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks, it felt almost like an underpay. In his final season with Detroit, Rodriguez put up a 3.30 ERA across 26 starts. The lefty offered a strong five-pitch mix, winning primarily with his low-90s fastball, which has long thrived on deception and his ability to miss barrels. That said, Rodriguez's expected ERA of 4.07 that season was an ominous red flag — one Arizona, like a lot of us, missed.

Rodriguez subsequently missed all but 10 starts with Arizona in 2024 due to various injuries. He took on a fuller workload in 2025, but his 5.02 ERA and 1.54 WHIP aren't becoming of an expected No. 2 starter. Rodriguez was definitely the victim of bad luck; he finished in the 87th percentile for hard-hit rate, which is encouraging. But the D'Backs are stuck on the hook for two more years at least. Given Rodriguez's age and his declining velocity, it feels like a return peak form is out of the question.

Rodriguez made 34 starts and finished sixth in AL Cy Young voting with Boston back in 2019. The year prior, he won a World Series. That is the pitcher Arizona was eager to bring in — one we saw plenty of glimpses of in Detroit. Unfortunately, Rodriguez's prime is but a memory, and Arizona probably won't spend big money on its pitching staff within the next couple years while it waits for his contract to expire.

3B Anthony Rendon, Los Angeles Angels

Remaining contract:

Anthony Rendon and the Los Angeles Angels recently agreed to restructure the final year of his contract. The former All-Star was initially slated to earn $38 million in 2026, but instead the Angels will spread that money over the next five years, with Rendon's L.A. tenure effectively over. He has not officially retired yet, but it's hard to imagine Rendon suiting up again.

This restructure, in theory, freed up a lot of cash for Los Angeles to spend elsewhere, but the front office has mostly stood pat. The Angels are interested to weighing down the books this season, especially after hiring manager Kurt Suzuki to a one-year, prove-it deal. The Angels are basically treading water at this point, much to the chagrin of baseball fans who yearn to watch Mike Trout play meaningful baseball.

Rendon's contract has been the albatross of all albatrosses for years now. He initially signed a seven-year, $245 million contract with Anaheim back in 2020. At the time, Rendon was an All-Star, a third-place finisher in NL MVP voting with the Washington Nationals, and a World Series champ. The Angels thought they'd found Trout's new superstar running mate. Instead, Rendon was a financial black hole and an anchor preventing the Angels from every surfacing in the postseason race.

OF Anthony Santander, Toronto Blue Jays

Remaining contract:

Anthony Santander's five-year, $92.5 million looks worse than it actually is upon first glance. The Toronto Blue Jays smartly gave him a $13.5 million signing bonus, which dampens the year-to-year cap hit. Still, after a disastrous debut season north of the border, it's hard not to think about Santander's contract as it relates to Toronto's near-miss on Kyle Tucker.

Toronto ultimately offered 10 years and $350 million to Tucker, who landed with the Dodgers on a four-year, $240 million deal instead. This is just the latest near-miss for the Blue Jays at the top of free agency. Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto both gave real consideration to Toronto before opting for higher-profile coastal teams.

The Blue Jays were probably concerned about Tucker's recent injury history, but Santander is also taking up an outfield spot for the next four years. He was limited to 54 games last season with an abysmal .565 OPS and 57 OPS+. There's a good chance Santander can rebound, at least a little bit. The man walloped 44 home runs for Baltimore in 2024. He's on the wrong side of 30, though, and his value is tied almost entirely to his ability to rake extra-base hits. If Santander stays on a downslide, and if Tucker dominates in L.A., this will be a hard one for Blue Jays fans to stomach.

DH Masataka Yoshida, Boston Red Sox

Remaining contract:

The Boston Red Sox inked Masataka Yoshida to a five-year, $90 million contract out of Japan. He started strong, with a .783 OPS and 109 OPS+ across 140 games as a rookie. His bat has been in constant decline since then, however, with Yoshida producing a .696 OPS and 93 OPS+ this past season — all while injuries limited him to 55 games. He can't stay healthy, he doesn't generate much power, and he's almost exclusively a DH. That leaves Boston in a real bind.

Boston, to its credit, put $175 million on the table for Alex Bregman. We can't blame Yoshida for the front office's unwillingness to hand out a no-trade clause. Boston subsequently spent $130 million on Ranger Suárez (a questionable investment but still an investment in winning), as well as trading for Willson Contreras and Sonny Gray from St. Louis. Boston has tried to up its game in free agency, but Yoshida is such a complicating factor. It's impossible to ignore.

There's no place for him in the lineup right now. Boston has a surplus of outfielders, meaning Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu and Roman Anthony will share DH reps. Yoshida is not versatile enough to handle first base. Trading Duran or Abreu does not inherently make Boston better, as both hit more effectively than Yoshida, in addition to their value as fielders. Boston can't trade the 32-year-old because there is no value in an aging nonfielder with a dink-and-dunk offensive profile. The Red Sox would love a do-over, no doubt.

SS Xander Bogaerts, San Diego Padres

Remaining contract:

Aside from re-signing Michael King, it has been a deathly quiet offseason for the San Diego Padres. AJ Preller's hands are tied. He emptied out his farm system at the 2025 trade deadline. Now, with ownership under dispute, his ability to purchase from the top shelf of free agency is compromised. The Padres are stuck in mud.

It's hard not to point to the Xander Bogaerts contract as a negative inflection point. The talented shortstop inked an 11-year, $280 million contract in 2023, putting him under lock and key in San Diego through 2034. That feels like forever. Bogaerts is still a good player — .720 OPS and 99 OPS+ with a career-high eight outs above average at shortstop in 2025. But he's 33. That defensive bump won't hold forever, and he's already on a clear decline offensively.

Bogaerts can hopefully extend his semi-prime window with a smart plate approach, speed on the bases and a solid glove at a premium position. But the Padres are going to be paying him over $25 million in his age-40 campaign. This contract will only get worse, and it's already impeding their ability to add younger, better players on the open market.

3B Carlos Correa, Houston Astros

Remaining contract:

The Houston Astros reunited with Carlos Correa at the 2025 trade deadline in a moment of desperation. They still missed the playoffs, and now the Astros are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Correa is too expensive to realistically reroute in another trade, not to mention beloved in Houston. But Jeremy Peña is their full-time shortstop, Jose Altuve is at second base, Christian Walker is at first base, and Yordan Álvarez is their permanent DH. What about All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes?

The Astros are now forced to consider trade overtures for Paredes, who was outright better than Correa in 2025. His contract situation is far more manageable, so he's easier to flip. Correa is still productive, with a .734 OPS and 103 OPS+ last season. But he's on the wrong side of 30 and it's hard to expect consistency at this point. He probably has a couple strong seasons left in the tank, but not enough to justify three years of $20 million-plus salary, with the risk of vesting options. Especially when it's forcing the Astros to bench or trade younger, more productive players.

Houston overextended itself last summer. While the Correa trade provided a nice dopamine hit for a few weeks, the end result of the season did not change. Only their future has, as Houston's overburdened cap sheet is worse off and their roster construction is all out of whack. Correa's reputation in Houston is unimpeachable at this point, but their front office's is not.

RHP Aaron Nola, Philadelphia Phillies

Remaining contract:

The Philadelphia Phillies handed Aaron Nola a seven-year, $172 million extension in 2024, which felt like a no-brainer in the moment. The market was hot and the Braves, Philly's arch rivals, put forth a competitive bid. Nola has a long track record of durable regular season success and a wealth of postseason experience. He's also beloved in Philadelphia. Now, he's set up to be a lifelong Phillie.

Hindsight is 20-20, however, and the Phillies would love to abandon ship right about now. Nola fell apart in 2025, with a 6.01 ERA and 1.35 WHIP across 17 starts. There were some positive moments late in the year, and Nola hadn't missed significant time since 2016 prior to last season's ankle sprain and rib fracture — a silver lining being that neither are elbow or shoulder injuries. The hope is that he can settle back into his 32-start routine in 2026.

Older pitchers tend to get less healthy, not more healthy, though. And for the Phillies, Nola's contract is a huge complicating factor. Not only did it potentially prevent them from stretching beyond seven years and $200 million for Bo Bichette, but it also made Ranger Suárez's departure a virtual guarantee. It will be harder to extend Jesús Luzardo next winter. It will be hard for Philadelphia to land a serious option in free agency to replace Suárez. The Zack Wheeler injury leaves both Taijuan Walker and an unseasoned Andrew Painter in line to start games next season. Philadelphia's rotation, for the first time in a long time, feels like a genuine source of uncertainty.