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SS Xander Bogaerts, SD: 11 years, $280 million (2023-33)
WAR total: 5.6
WAR per season: 2.8
Earlier this offseason, B/R ranked the 10 worst contracts on the books heading into the 2025 MLB season, and the Bogaerts deal was in the No. 4 spot. The 32-year-old is coming off an ugly 2024 season in which he posted a 92 OPS+ and 1.2 WAR in 111 games, and he will earn $25.5 million annually through the 2033 campaign.
3B Alex Rodriguez, NYY: 10 years, $275 million (2008-17)
WAR total: 23.1
WAR per season: 2.3
Agent Scott Boras announced during Game 4 of the 2007 World Series that Rodriguez planned to opt out of the final three years and $72 million of his contract, and it looked like he was headed for a split from the Yankees. After testing the free-agency waters, he eventually found his way back to the Bronx two months later on a new 10-year deal. The new contract started on a high note as he tallied 19.1 WAR over the first four seasons and finally won his first ring in 2009, but it ended in disgrace as his PED use became the story.
1B Albert Pujols, LAA: 10 years, $240 million (2012-21)
WAR total: 12.7
WAR per season: 1.3
Pujols continued to be an impact bat over his first five seasons with the Angels, posting a 123 OPS+ while averaging 29 home runs and 98 RBI, but the second half of the contract was a disaster. He was a minus-2.0-WAR player in 460 games over his final four-plus seasons before he was released early in 2021. The fact that he landed with the Dodgers and enjoyed something of a resurgence was just salt in the wound.
2B Robinson Canó, SEA: 10 years, $240 million (2014-23)
WAR total: 23.7
WAR per season: 2.4
After nine seasons with the Yankees, Canó made an immediate splash with the Mariners. Over the first four seasons of his contract, he racked up 20.1 WAR while scoring a pair of top-10 finishes in AL MVP voting. However, his 2018 season was shortened by an 80-game PED suspension, and he was traded to the Mets that offseason. He went on to tally just 0.2 WAR in 189 games over the final five years of his contract, including missing the entire 2021 season with a second 162-game PED suspension.
SS Carlos Correa, MIN: 6 years, $200 million (2023-28)
WAR total: 5.1
WAR per season: 2.5
Correa was productive when healthy last season, hitting .310/.388/.517 with a 152 OPS+ in 86 games while earning an All-Star selection. However, he has played 140 games just twice over 10 seasons in the big leagues, so it’s unlikely his injury woes will suddenly be a thing of the past. The Twins are also now having trouble navigating his bloated salary, which has led to his name surfacing in trade rumors just two years into his six-year contract.
OF Jason Heyward, CHC: 8 years, $184 million (2016-23)
WAR total: 8.9
WAR per season: 1.1