MLB Player Contracts That Almost Toppled Franchise Budgets

Year of Contract: 2010 
Salary: $66 million over four years*
How Long it Lasted: 2 years 

Described as an “unhappy alliance” by ESPN’s Wallace Matthews, the Mets signed a contract with outfielder Jason Bay in 2010 that worth $66 million over four years. The contract was negotiated by Omar Minaya, who left the Mets before seeing it through. The contract, however, ended after only two years.

Jason Bay @metsrewind / Twitter.com

Bay was initially signed because of his batting and outfielder abilities, but after he began his pro career, his batting average began to sank. He ran into a wall and broke his ribs during his first season. The Mets cited poor results after terminating the massive contract early. 

Year of Contract: 2002 
Salary: $65 million over five years*
How Long it Lasted: Three years 

Chan Ho Park is now retired, but Rangers fans haven’t forgotten the disastrous contract he received back in 2002. In 2002, the Rangers’ front office made headlines when it signed Park to a five-year, $65 million contract. Things got off to a bad start almost immediately.

Chan Ho Park ©Wikimedia.org

Park was plagued with injury after injury during his time in Texas, and his pitching abilities, which were the primary reason the Rangers paid such an astronomical salary, also soon diminished. He went 33-33 over his contract span, which lasted from 2002 until 2005, and his ERA was 5.56. Both parties were reportedly relieved when the contract ended early. 

Year of Contract: 1999
Salary: $105 million over seven years*
How Long it Lasted: 7 years  

Though this contract did last its full term, Bleacher Report listed it as one of the worst free agency contracts in the history of baseball. Kevin Brown, age thirty-four at the time, signed a $105 million deal to play for the Dodgers. The contract was supposed to last seven years, which meant that Brown would be (and indeed, was) 41 when it ended.

Kevin Brown @MLB / Youtube.com

This was the first MLB contract to top $100 million. Fans and sports analysts alike excoriated the Dodgers for the contract. Brown began performing poorly almost immediately, as his age was catching up to him. Though he had a good year in 2003, this was later attributed to performance-enhancing substances. 

Year of Contract: 2011 
Salary: $214 million over nine years*
How Long it Lasted: 2 years 

Prince Fielder’s contract with Tigers is almost jaw-dropping today as it was in 2011. He signed for $214 million over a nine-year span. Fielder’s contract is due to end in 2020, but he doesn’t play for the Tigers—or at all—anymore, due to an injury. But as per the contract, the Tigers are still on the hook for the bill until the bitter end.

Prince Fielder @BaseballRealest / Twitter.com

The Tigers traded Fielder after just two years for Ian Kinsler, when he still had $96 million left on his contract. The contract’s terms worked out to still pay Fielder $9 million a year of his salary. Luckily, the franchise’s insurance is footing the bill.

Year of Contract: 2009 
Salary: $82.5 million over five years*
How Long it Lasted: 5 years 

The contract between John Lackey and the Red Sox lasted from 2010 until 2014. Lackey signed a contract for $82.5 million on December 16, 2009. In the contract, there was a clause that stated that if Lackey missed a full season because of injury, the Sox could take a team option worth the league minimum at the end of the contract.

Alfonso Soriono @UTPadres / Twitter.com

Lackey went through a rough stretch in 2013, but he pulled through, and, at the end of his final game, he was given a standing ovation from fans (and his full contract amount).

Year of Contract: 2006 
Salary: $136 million over eight years*
How Long it Lasted: 7 years 

The Chicago Cubs’ contract with Alfonso Soriano was set for $136 million over eight years. Bleacher Nation has since called it a “horrible contract.” Soriano’s contract was given during the MLB spending boom that took place in 2007 and 2008 (concurrent with the 2008 economic crisis, oddly).

Alfonso Soriono @UTPadres / Twitter.com

The Cubs cut the cord early, sending Soriano to the New York Yankees. The Yankees signed a deal with the Cubs that required the Cubs to send them $13 million to cover the final year of Soriano’s contract. Many Cubs fans breathed a sigh of relief in 2014 when the deal was done.

Year of Contract: 2010
Salary: $125 million over five years*
How Long it Lasted: 6 years

Yes, you read that right. The contract between the Phillies and Ryan Howard was supposed to pay out $125 million over five years, but the Phillies kept him on for a second year, buying out the contract after the first season in order to get out of the option year. When Howard signed the historic contract, just one month into the season in 2010, it was very controversial.

Ryan Howard @BlueClaws / Twitter.com

However, it appeared to work out for everyone. Despite nearly bankrupting the team, Howard played well for the Phillies. Overall, he batted 1,194 runs, with 382 home runs and a batting average of .258. Howard has a net worth of $120 million.

Year of Contract: 2006  
Salary: $126 million over seven years*
How Long it Lasted: 7 years 

Bleacher Report described Barry Zito’s contract with the San Francisco Giants as the “worst, [most] unjustified contract” in recent MLB history. He signed a $126 million seven-year contract with the Giants that had a vested option for 2014. The contract paid out between $18.5 million and $20 million per year.

Barry Zito @theScoreMLB / Twitter.com

The contract surprised fans, as Zito hadn’t had a winning record for three years. In fact, Zito had been pitching 50-50 since 2002, and for him to sign what was, at the time, one of the largest pitching contracts in MLB history was nothing short of a shock. Zito is now retired and works as an actor.

Year of Contract: 2008 
Salary: $82.5 million over five years*
How Long it Lasted: 5 years 

Opinions remain split as to whether A.J. Burnett’s contract with the Yankees actually paid off for the franchise. Burnett signed a contract worth $82.5 million over five years, with the Yankees confirming the deal in 2008. Burnett’s agent at the time, Darek Braunecker, had a big hand in making the contract happen behind-the-scenes.

A.J. Burnett @MLB / Youtube.com

Burnett would later move over to the Phillies in 2014 after his contract with the Yankees was up. The contract was for one-year, $15 million. There was a mutual option for $2015. Burnett spent seventeen seasons in the league before retiring. He pitched 2,513 strikeouts in total. 

Year of Contract: 2008 
Salary: $41 million over four years*
How Long it Lasted: 4 years

The Kyle Lohse contract with the Cardinals lasted four years and paid out $41 million, but this large sum was actually a contract extension. Lohse signed a one-year contract with the Cardinals in 2008 worth a little over $4 million. Lohse ended up being a surprise for the Cardinals, with a fantastic 11-2 record with an ERA of 3.39.

Kyle Lohse @mlbtraderumors / Twitter.com

That prompted the Cardinals to sign an extension in 2008, even though Lohse had just been suspended for deliberately throwing at Edinson Volquez, the pitcher for the Reds. Lohse countered, stating that Volquez had tried to hit him earlier, but the MLB wasn’t buying it.

Year of Contract: 2005 
Salary: $55 million over five years*
How Long it Lasted: 4 years 

When Gil Meche signed his legendary contract with the Royals, his was the largest contract in the history of the franchise. The two parties inked the deal in 2006, which was slated to pay out $55 million over five years. At the time, Meche’s contract tied with Mike Sweeney’s for the most expensive in the MLB.

Gil Meche ©Wikimedia.org

Later, this contract’s record would be shattered by Alex Gordon, who would sign a four-year deal in 2016 worth $72 million. Meche’s contract lasted only four years, as he chose to retire. Business Insider described his early retirement decision (at age 32) as “throw[ing] away $12 million.”  

Year of Contract: 2007 
Salary: $91.5 million over five years*
How Long it Lasted: 5 years 

Carlos Zambrano and the Chicago Cubs had a long history together, as the Cubs were the only franchise that Zambrano had ever played with when he signed a major contract with them. In 2007, he signed a deal that would pay out $91.5 million over five years. He had already spent a season with the Cubs, and the total money he made from the franchise topped $110 million.

Carlos Zambrano @DailyRandomCub / Twitter.com

Zambrano, at age 37, is still playing baseball. And he’s still in Chicago too. He is currently playing the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball. His team is the Chicago Dogs, which are in their second season.  

Year of Contract: 2010 
Salary: $142 million over seven years*
How Long it Lasted: 2 years 

Carl Crawford’s contract with the Red Sox has often been described as one of the most disastrous in MLB history. The deal, signed in December of 2010, was supposed to pay out a whopping $125 million over seven years. Crawford, unfortunately, got off to a bad start almost as soon as he hit the field in 2011. He stole just two bases in twelve games and batted .137.

Carl Crawford ©Wikimedia.org

Though his second season was a little better, he suffered from injuries and, even when healthy, was a poor clutch player. The Red Sox cut him after two seasons. Crawford called Boston and the Red Sox “toxic” and stated that they put him into a “depression.”

Year of Contract: 2010 
Salary: $126 million over seven years*
How Long it Lasted: 7 years 

Jayson Werth signed a contract with the Washington Nationals that was worth $126 million over seven years. At the time, the contract, signed in 2010, was the fourteenth-richest contract in the history of the MLB. The contract was widely mocked at the time, as Werth was going to be 32 in 2011.

Jayson Werth @SeaTimesSports / Twitter.com

Werth’s contract actually worked out well for the Nationals, by most accounts. He was described by the Washington Post as the “shaggy-haired soul” of the franchise. Werth wanted to sign a new contract after the megadeal with the Nationals expired, but the franchise declined. Werth was forced into retirement in 2018.