Five Biggest free agent busts thus far in 2016 MLB season

Last offseason produced a slew of big contracts. Some MLB teams are happy with the results from their investments. Unfortunately, other deals haven’t produced quite the same dividends.

What players aren’t living up to the hype? What teams are already regretting their decisions to sign these players?

Who have been the biggest free agent busts of the 2016 MLB season?

1. Jason Heyward, outfielder, Chicago Cubs

The Contract: Eight years, $184 million

Just short of four months into the 2016 season, Heyward’s production has mirrored that of a fourth outfielder used primarily as a late-inning defensive replacement.

The problem, of course, is that Heyward is not being paid to be a fourth outfielder with a nice glove. He’s paid to be a star. That hasn’t come close to happening.

At the plate, Heyward’s production has been anemic. Heyward’s best offensive stat is his .325 on-base percentage. That ranks him second-to-last among regular hitters in the Cubs’ lineup.

That’s not uncommon for a guy hitting at the bottom of the order. It is, however, uncommon for someone getting paid $23 million per season.

Even worse, players of the ilk are usually good for 20-plus homers. Heyward is currently on pace to hit 10.

Sadly, that .325 on-base percentage is actually higher than Heyward’s .323 slugging percentage. This deep into the year, an everyday player’s OBP simply can’t be higher than his slugging percentage.

The only positive for the Cubs is that thus far, Heyward’s poor production has not hurt the team in a big way. Chicago still has one of baseball’s best records.

Still, this signing has been a disaster. If Heyward’s play doesn’t improve, it will continue to be disastrous for nearly a decade.

Probably not what the Cubs’ front office had in mind.

2. Justin Upton, outfielder, Detroit Tigers

The Contract: Six years, $132.75 million

As a baseball player, Upton’s primary skill is his power. Unfortunately, you wouldn’t know that by looking at his numbers. We can focus on his 10 home runs or 39 RBI, but one other stat shows just how much his power has been lacking.

David Ortiz leads baseball with a .665 slugging percentage. Upton’s OPS of .677 is only slightly better.

Unfortunately, nothing else is going well at the plate either. Upton has a minuscule .291 on-base percentage. His strikeout pace (194) would be worrisome for a player with twice as many home runs.

Upton should be the kind of player that the Tigers put into their lineup every day and get a reliable 25-30 home runs from. That’s what he’s paid to be. That’s what he’s been throughout his career.

What Detroit has actually gotten is a player that looks washed up. For a guy short of his 29th birthday, that’s troubling.

At the very least, the onus will be on Upton to start 2017 strong to show that he’s still got something left in the tank. If that doesn’t happen, this contract will only look worse.

3. Wei-Yin Chen, starting pitcher, Miami Marlins

The Contract: Five years, $80 million

When the Marlins signed Chen to that contract, it felt like an overpay. Chen was a nice pitcher with the Orioles, but was rarely anything more than a mid-rotation guy.

Of course, some judgment had to be reserved. Coming to Miami meant pitching in the more pitcher-friendly National League in a much better home stadium for pitchers. We’re only 19 starts into this contract but thus far, the results have been ugly.

Strangely, Chen’s walk rate is not bad and he’s striking out hitters at a better clip than ever before. But those hits and home runs are telling. Hitters are seeing Chen’s pitches and hitting them hard.

Even more troubling is Chen’s age. While Heyward and Upton are both in the midst of dismal seasons, each man is still in his 20’s. The numbers are dreadful but by this time next year, one or both can have an entirely different narrative.

Chen is 31. Getting hit harder is a sign that his stuff just isn’t as good as it’s been. He needed to pitch better this year to show that his contract was justifiable.

Instead, he’s gone the other way.

4. Yovani Gallardo, starting pitcher, Baltimore Orioles

The Contract: Two years, $22 million 

The Orioles needed some starting pitching stability entering this season. Even if it did come in the form of an overpay, Baltimore figured to get just that with the signing of Gallardo.

It hasn’t worked out that way.

Gallardo’s 10.9 hits allowed per nine innings is the worst average of his career. The same can be said for his five walks per nine. Unfortunately, the wildness hasn’t resulted in any more strikeouts — which can often happen. In fact, Gallardo has struck out only six hitters per nine innings. That mark is only fractionally better than his career worst.

All of that has led to a 5.69 ERA and 1.70 WHIP. Naturally, both of those totals are career worsts. That 1.70 WHIP is only slightly better than Clayton Kershaw’s 1.79 ERA.

That may not be ace money, but an $11 million annual average should pay for a solid second or third starter. Gallardo’s hasn’t even shown himself as an MLB-caliber starter this season.

5. David Price, starting pitcher, Boston Red Sox

The Contract: Seven years, $217 million 

Price was signed to be a Cy Young contender. He was signed to be someone that the Red Sox could confidently throw in Game 1 of a playoff series against their opponent’s ace.

Thus far, Boston has gotten below-average production from Price.

To be fair, some of Price’s peripherals aren’t terrible. He continues to strike hitters out at a high rate and not issuing many walks. Also, while Price’s FIP of 3.39 isn’t as good as it’s been in the past, that mark is still considered above average.

The problem is that when balls are getting put in play, they’re getting hit hard. Per Fangraphs, 26.4 percent of the balls hit against Price have been line drives. That’s a career worst by a significant margin.

David Price needs to be much better. That take may not be new but until Price shows that he’s worth the money, the narrative is not going away.

All contract information provided by Spotrac.