Matt Johnson
What is the worst contract in MLB? Major League Baseball teams aren’t quite as reckless with their spending these days, so we aren’t seeing as many contracts that prove to be disastrous just a few years into the deal. However, there’s still no shortage of bad contracts around the league.
Let’s dive into our list of the worst MLB contracts right now, going position by position, ahead of Opening Day.
Catcher: Keibert Ruiz, Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals acquired catcher Keibert Ruiz as part of a package of prospects, including Josiah Gray, in a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers for Trea Turner and Max Scherzer. He looked promising after being acquired (.743 OPS) and settled into a .257 batting average and .685 OPS in his first full season with the club. In March 2023, Washington signed Ruiz to an eight-year contract worth $50 million. After showing more promise in 2023 (.717 OPS), Ruiz has been among the least productive catchers in baseball over the last two seasons. From 2024-25, he ranks 33rd among qualified catchers in fWAR (-1.0), 30th in OPS (.618) and he is 48th in Catcher Framing Runs (-12) in that two-season span. While Ruiz’s average annual value ($6.25 million) is 15th among catchers, the Nationals still owe him $36.875 million over the next five seasons.
Related: Best MLB Catchers 2026
First Base: Christian Walker, Houston Astros
We praised the Houston Astros a year ago for the Christian Walker signing. He had just come off a three-season stretch with 281 RBI, 95 home runs and an .813 OPS with 242 runs scored and an 11.3 bWAR. It all fell apart in his age-34 season. Walker posted career lows in batting average (.238) and OBP (.297) in a full season, with his OPS plummeting to .717 and he had the second-highest strikeout rate (27.3 percent) among first basemen with the fourth-lowest walk rate (6.3 percent). Just for good measure, he also had the second-worst Defensive Runs Saved (-7). He is still owed $40 million over the next two seasons. We, along with the Astros, were wrong.
Related: Best MLB First Basemen 2026
Second Base: Marcus Semien, New York Mets
How thin has second base become in MLB? Marcus Semien is both a top-10 player at the position and he also has the worst contract among his peers. Acquired by the New York Mets this winter, Semien is coming off a campaign where he won his second Gold Glove Award and ranked in the 92nd percentile for Range (7 Outs Above Average). The positives end there. In his age-34 season, Semien ranked in the 8th percentile in Baseball Savant’s Bat Speed (68.4 mph) and the 17th percentile for hard-Hit rate (35 percent). Those numbers explain his .686 OPS and .234 batting average over the last two seasons. Still owed $72 million total over the next three seasons, this contract could look even worse if Father Time starts to take away his fielding ability.
Related: Best MLB Second Basemen 2026
Third Base: Austin Riley, Atlanta Braves
In August 2022, the Atlanta Braves signed All-Star third baseman Austin Riley to a 10-year contract extension worth $212 million. It seemed like a fairly reasonable deal at the time, as he had just made his first All-Star Game appearance and was coming off a campaign with 33 home runs, 107 RBI and an .898 OPS. He rewarded the organization for the long-term investment, putting up a .281 batting average, an .861 OPS, 37 home runs and a 6.0 bWAR in 2023. Things have gone downhill since then. Riley’s batting average (.281 to .256) and OPS (.861 to .783) both plummeted, and his strikeout rate climbed. It got even worse this past season, as evidenced by his lowest OPS in a full season (.737) since he became a starter. Riley ranks 12th among third basemen in fWAR (4.1) and 12th in OPS (.760) over the last two seasons. While that still statistically makes him an above-average third baseman, he has the fifth-highest AAV ($21.2 million) and the Braves owe him $154 million guaranteed over the next seven seasons.
Related: Best MLB Third Basemen 2026
Shortstop: Xander Bogaerts, San Diego Padres
It did not take much time for the Xander Bogaerts contract to age poorly. The San Diego Padres signed him to an 11-year, $280 million contract in December 2022. In his previous five seasons with the Boston Red Sox, Bogaerts posted a .300 batting average with an .880 OPS and he averaged 4.6 bWAR per season. In the last two years, San Diego’s shortstop has a .263 batting average with a .705 OPS and 3.2 bWAR total. Heading into his age-33 season, Bogaerts is still owed more than $204 million over the next eight seasons. The Padres are stuck with his contract through 2033, when Bogaerts will be 40 years old, because no one is taking it.
Related: Best MLB Shortstops 2026
Outfield: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels
No one will feel bad for the Los Angeles Angels for having one of the worst MLB contracts in 2026. That is not just because it is something they are used to. This organization failed to build a playoff team around one of the best baseball players of our era; Mike Trout has not made the playoffs since 2014 and that was his only postseason appearance in his major-league career. Sadly, years of injuries have taken a serious toll on the future Hall of Famer. Trout has played in just 241 games over the last three seasons, putting up an .827 OPS in that span with a .242 batting average. He is still a very good hitter, as we saw last season with a .797 OPS and 26 home runs in 456 at-bats. Unfortunately, Trout can really now only function as a designated hitter and he is years removed from the caliber of player we saw back in 2012-19 (1.009 OPS). Heading into the 2026 season, Trout is owed just over $185 million ($37.116 million AAV) over the next five years.
Related: Best MLB Center Fielders 2026; Best Left Fielders in MLB 2026;Best MLB Right Fielders 2026
Designated Hitter: Kris Bryant, Colorado Rockies
Coming off a three-year stretch with a .446 winning percentage, the Colorado Rockies decided to sign Kris Bryant to a seven-year contract worth $182 million. It was a head-scratcher at the time, as he was entering his 30s and coming off a two-year stretch with just a .796 OPS. It has turned out worse than even the biggest skeptics thought. Thanks to injuries, Bryant has played in just 170 games across his four seasons with the Rockies. The former NL MVP has managed to compile a .244 batting average with a .695 OPS, 17 home runs, and 61 RBI during that time. Bryant’s body is breaking down and he might have to retire at some point, but it is hard to walk away when he is still owed $81 million over the next three seasons.
Related: Best Designated Hitters 2026
Starting Pitcher: José Berríos, Toronto Blue Jays
There were a few candidates in this spot—Eduardo Rodriguez and Yu Darvish among them—but the criteria for long-term money owed is the difference-maker when comparing the worst contracts in Major League Baseball. Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher José Berríos, a two-time All-Star selection with the Minnesota Twins, is not close to what he used to be. He has posted a 4.14 ERA with a 1.26 WHIP across 720 innings in the last four seasons. More recently, he is coming off a two-year stretch where he has the sixth-worst WHIP (1.22) among starters with 350-plus innings pitched. Given his performance this past season—4.17 ERA and 1.3 WHIP—it is hard to envision any scenario where he will decline his player option next winter. That means Toronto will be on the hook for paying him $67 million over the next three seasons while receiving back-end starter production in return.
Related: Best MLB Pitchers 2026
