Ranking the 10 Worst MLB Contracts on the Books for 2025 Season

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Joel Reuter November 29, 2024

Ranking the 10 Worst MLB Contracts on the Books for 2025 Season

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Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

There is always a significant level of risk involved when it comes to handing out massive contracts in MLB free agency, and that will no doubt be on the minds of teams kicking the tires on the market’s top-tier players once again this winter.

While many of the most obvious ill-advised long-term deals have come and gone, including the end of Patrick Corbin’s contract with the Washington Nationals this offseason, there are still a handful of notable ones on the books heading into the 2025 season.

Ahead, we’ve ranked the 10 worst contracts that teams are stuck with going forward, focusing on players with multiple years remaining on their current deal. The deals were ranked based on remaining money owed, recent production and expected production going forward.

No contracts with one year remaining were considered, since the finish line is in sight on them and teams can more easily navigate them as a result.

10. All the Bad Contracts With 2 Years Remaining

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Anthony RendonMeg Oliphant/Getty Images

Remaining years and money left on the books is a major factor in deciding which contracts rank as the worst heading into the new season, so it seemed reasonable to lump all of the bad deals with two years left on the books into one category in the No. 10 spot.

Here are the worst deals with only two years remaining and a light at the end of the tunnel:

3B Anthony Rendon, LAA: Two years, $77.1 millionSP Robbie Ray, SF: Two years, $50 millionOF George Springer, TOR: Two years, $48.3 millionOF Nick Castellanos, PHI: Two years, $40 millionSP Taijuan Walker, PHI: Two years, $36 millionSP Lance McCullers Jr., HOU: Two years, $35.4 millionIF DJ LeMahieu, NYY: Two years, $30 million1B/3B Jeimer Candelario, CIN: Two years, $29 million

The worst of the bunch is undoubtedly Anthony Rendon, who has managed just 4.7 WAR over the first five seasons of his seven-year, $245 million deal and will again be one of the highest-paid players in the sport in 2025.

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