Rating the ten Worst MLB Contracts on the Books for 2025 Season

There may be all the time a big degree of danger concerned in relation to handing out large contracts in MLB free company, and that can little question be on the minds of groups kicking the tires in the marketplace’s top-tier gamers as soon as once more this winter.

Whereas most of the most evident ill-advised long-term offers have come and gone, together with the top of Patrick Corbin’s contract with the Washington Nationals this offseason, there are nonetheless a handful of notable ones on the books heading into the 2025 season.

Forward, we have ranked the ten worst contracts that groups are caught with going ahead, specializing in gamers with a number of years remaining on their present deal. The offers had been ranked based mostly on remaining cash owed, latest manufacturing and anticipated manufacturing going ahead.

No contracts with one 12 months remaining had been thought of, because the end line is in sight on them and groups can extra simply navigate them because of this.

Remaining years and cash left on the books is a significant component in deciding which contracts rank because the worst heading into the brand new season, so it appeared affordable to lump the entire dangerous offers with two years left on the books into one class within the No. 10 spot.

Listed here are the worst offers with solely two years remaining and a lightweight on the finish of the tunnel:

3B Anthony Rendon, LAA: Two years, $77.1 million
SP Robbie Ray, SF: Two years, $50 million
OF George Springer, TOR: Two years, $48.3 million
OF Nick Castellanos, PHI: Two years, $40 million
SP Taijuan Walker, PHI: Two years, $36 million
SP Lance McCullers Jr., HOU: Two years, $35.4 million
IF DJ LeMahieu, NYY: Two years, $30 million
1B/3B Jeimer Candelario, CIN: Two years, $29 million

The worst of the bunch is undoubtedly Anthony Rendon, who has managed simply 4.7 WAR over the primary 5 seasons of his seven-year, $245 million deal and can once more be one of many highest-paid gamers within the sport in 2025.

Additional down the listing, Taijuan Walker and DJ LeMahieu are each candidates to be outright launched this offseason as a sunk price might outweigh their damaging contributions.

On the flip facet, a wholesome Robbie Ray could possibly be a significant X-factor for the San Francisco Giants, whereas George Springer shouldn’t be far faraway from being an All-Star-caliber participant and will bounce again with a greater supporting solid.

Remaining Contract

2025: $17.1 million
2026: $17.1 million
2027: $15.1 million

Whole Remaining Cash: $49.3 million

Amongst 129 place gamers who recorded sufficient plate appearances to qualify for the batting title, Andrew Benintendi ranked 128th with minus-0.8 WAR within the second season of a five-year, $75 million contract.

The 30-year-old was coming off a profession 12 months and his first All-Star choice when he signed that contract, however that degree of manufacturing has been nowhere to be discovered since he joined the Chicago White Sox, and now he’s on an albatross contract for a staff at all-time low of a rebuild.

Benintendi hit .229/.289/.396 for a 95 OPS+ with 20 doubles and 20 dwelling runs in 522 plate appearances this previous season, and the previous Gold Glove defender was additionally one of many worst defensive gamers in baseball (-13 DRS, -1.4 UZR/150) in left area.

Remaining Contract

2025: $26 million
2026: $26 million
2027: $26 million
2028: $26 million

Whole Remaining Cash: $104 million

After profitable the 2018 NL MVP and ending runner-up within the balloting the next 12 months with a second straight 7-WAR season, Christian Yelich inked a nine-year, $215 million extension with the Milwaukee Brewers.

His manufacturing cratered in the course of the shortened 2020 season, and he tallied simply 4.3 WAR over the primary three seasons of that shiny new contract, however he has returned to being an impression offensive participant the final two years.

The 32-year-old was an All-Star this previous season for the primary time since 2019, hitting .315/.406/.504 for a 151 OPS+ in 315 plate appearances earlier than present process season-ending again surgical procedure in August.

For a staff just like the Brewers on a decent price range, having Yelich account for greater than 30 p.c of their $70.8 million payroll in 2024 was just too massive of a chunk of the pie. That can proceed to be the case within the coming years.

Remaining Contract

2025: $32 million
2026: $29 million ($10 million paid by MIA)
2027: $25 million ($10 million paid by MIA)

Whole Remaining Cash: $86 million ($20 million paid by MIA)

Giancarlo Stanton put collectively a implausible 2024 postseason for the New York Yankees, posting a 1.048 OPS with seven dwelling runs and 16 RBI in 14 video games and taking dwelling ALCS MVP honors.

That mentioned, the 35-year-old is now not the star-caliber participant he was in his prime, and whereas he continues to offer over-the-fence energy, he has tallied a mixed 0.6 WAR in 325 video games over the previous three seasons.

His robust playoff efficiency and the truth that the Marlins are on the hook for roughly 25 p.c of his remaining wage retains him from rating any greater, but it surely’s unlikely he’ll dwell as much as his wage over the remaining three seasons of his 13-year, $325 million megadeal.

Remaining Contract

2025: $22.5 million
2026: $25 million
2027: $25 million

Whole Remaining Cash: $72.5 million

Trevor Story has performed simply 163 video games over the primary three seasons of his six-year, $140 million cope with the Boston Purple Sox, hitting .232/.296/.397 for an 89 OPS+ with 21 dwelling runs, 90 RBI and 4.0 WAR throughout that span.

A shoulder concern and subsequent surgical procedure restricted him to a career-low 26 video games in 2024, and with high prospects Marcelo Mayer and Kristian Campbell knocking on the door, the Boston entrance workplace might begin trying to reduce its losses within the not-too-distant future.

After racking up 26.8 WAR, two All-Star alternatives and two Silver Slugger Awards throughout his six seasons with the Colorado Rockies, Story has been a whole non-factor over the primary half of his Purple Sox contract, and at 32 years previous, a return to his peak kind appears more and more unlikely.

Remaining Contract

2025: $40 million
2026: $38 million
2027: $37 million

Whole Remaining Cash: $115 million

The Texas Rangers have paid Jacob deGrom a staggering $70 million for 9 begins and 41 innings of labor over the primary two seasons of his five-year, $185 million contract, and he was watching from the sidelines throughout their 2023 World Sequence run.

The 36-year-old did return with a 1.69 ERA and a 14-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 10.2 innings over three late-season begins, and a clear invoice of well being heading into the offseason will probably be a welcome change for the two-time Cy Younger winner.

Nonetheless, the Rangers are actually in a transition interval following a disappointing 2024 marketing campaign, and having $115 million nonetheless on the books doesn’t help of their efforts to get under the luxury-tax threshold.

Remaining Contract

2025: $25.5 million
2026: $25.5 million
2027: $25.5 million
2028: $25.5 million
2029: $25.5 million
2030: $25.5 million
2031: $25.5 million
2032: $25.5 million
2033: $25.5 million

Whole Remaining Cash: $229.5 million

The San Diego Padres’ determination to signal Xander Bogaerts to an 11-year, $280 million deal in the course of the 2022-23 offseason was a little bit of a head-scratcher from the beginning, particularly contemplating the longstanding perception he would doubtless must shift off shortstop within the not-too-distant future.

After a 4.4-WAR debut with the staff in 2023, he had one of many worst seasons of his profession in 2024, hitting a punchless .264/.307/.381 for a 92 OPS+ and tallying simply 1.2 WAR in 111 video games—his lowest whole since his rookie season in 2014.

The 32-year-old additionally shifted to second base final spring, opening up the shortstop place for a superior defender in Ha-Seong Kim, however now Kim is departing in free company and Bogaerts could also be pressured to make a full-time return to a place the place he logged below-average defensive metrics (-4 DRS, 0.0 UZR/150) in 2023.

He will probably be 40 years previous within the ultimate season of his contract, and whereas a rebound from his 2024 efficiency shouldn’t be out of the query, the final downward trajectory of his kind is more likely to proceed.

Remaining Contract

2025: $25 million
2026: $24 million
2027: $24 million

Whole Remaining Cash: $73 million

At his peak with the Chicago Cubs, shortstop Javier Báez was one of the vital dynamic gamers in baseball, making back-to-back All-Star appearances and ending runner-up in 2018 NL MVP balloting on the energy of his energy, pace and elite protection.

After becoming a member of the New York Mets as a two-month rental on the 2021 commerce deadline in a deal that despatched Pete Crow-Armstrong the opposite method, he signed a six-year, $140 million contract with the Detroit Tigers in free company and was anticipated to be a cornerstone of their rebuilding efforts.

As a substitute, the 31-year-old has hit an unpleasant .221/.262/.347 for a 71 OPS+ in 1,426 plate appearances over the primary three years of that deal, and his already diminished manufacturing cratered in 2024 when he hit .184 with a 46 OPS+ in 289 plate appearances earlier than present process season-ending hip surgical procedure.

In his absence, rookie Trey Sweeney confirmed legit upside because the beginning shortstop, and Báez will now have to earn his taking part in time in a platoon role to start out the 2025 marketing campaign.

Remaining Contract

2025: $27 million
2026: $27 million
2027: $27 million
2028: $27 million

Whole Remaining Cash: $108 million

Few gamers have had a greater begin to their MLB profession than Kris Bryant, who gained 2015 NL Rookie of the 12 months and adopted it up with 2016 NL MVP honors whereas serving to the Chicago Cubs break a 108-year title drought.

He was a four-time All-Star throughout his seven seasons with the Cubs, together with the 2021 season when he was traded to the San Francisco Giants on the deadline forward of his first foray into free company.

Bryant finally signed a seven-year, $182 million cope with the Colorado Rockies, who had been seemingly bidding in opposition to themselves at that asking value and had been under no circumstances one splashy signing away from being contenders.

That contract now appears like a legit contender to go down because the least productive $100 million deal ever handed out, as accidents have restricted him to 159 video games and minus-1.3 WAR over his first three years in Colorado.

The 32-year-old performed 37 video games and hit .218/.323/.301 with two dwelling runs in 155 plate appearances in 2024.

Remaining Contract

2025: $37.2 million
2026: $37.2 million
2027: $37.2 million
2028: $37.2 million
2029: $37.2 million
2030: $37.2 million

Whole Remaining Cash: $223.2 million

Let’s begin by saying that if Mike Trout retired tomorrow, he can be a first-ballot Corridor of Famer in 5 years.

The 33-year-old is an 11-time All-Star, three-time MVP winner and was on an all-time nice trajectory over the primary 10 seasons of his profession when he piled up 74.3 WAR and was one of many faces of baseball.

Nonetheless, he has performed in simply 266 of 648 video games over the previous 4 seasons, which quantities to almost 60 p.c of the time spent watching from the sidelines.

A nagging again harm was probably the most evident concern initially of that injury-plagued stretch, although it was a torn meniscus in his left knee after which a second tear of the identical meniscus later within the 12 months that restricted him to simply 29 video games in 2024.

He’s nonetheless able to making an impression when wholesome, evidenced by his 140 OPS+ and 10 dwelling runs in 126 plate appearances when he was capable of take the sphere this previous season, however the harm woes are beginning to pile up.

Trout’s contract is actually immovable at this level, leaving an Angels staff that’s in severe want of a roster retooling to proceed attempting to construct round its growing older celebrity and his bloated wage.