The Five Most Overpaid MLB Players In 2023

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The worst contract in recent baseball memory just ended. Chris Davis was making $23 million a year from 2018 until last year. In those five seasons, he managed to hit .169 with 28 home runs in 249 games. In actuality, he chose the Bobby Bonilla route and it's even worse than that.

SOURCE - Chris Davis is set to receive $42 million in deferred payments in a 15-year period from 2023 to 2037 as a residual after-effect of the seven year, $161 million contract he signed with the Orioles in 2016.

After receiving his full $23 million salary in 2022, Davis will earn:

• $9.16 million annually from 2023 to 2025
• $3.5 million from 2026 to 2032
• $1.4 million from 2033 until 2037

But for the sake of baseball bookkeeping, the contract is over. So with Chris Davis off the MLB books, which is the worst contract for 2023? I'm only judging these guys on what they will make this year and what I expect their production to be. So the players won't be penalized for having contracts with many years left. This should let someone like Giancarlo Stanton ($32 million) off the hook.

There are a few honorable mentions. Miguel Cabrera ($32 million) and Joey Votto ($25 million) both won't come close to making good on that money from a production standpoint but are team legends. I can't put them on this list in good faith. Trevor Story ($20 million) isn't great outside of Denver but would only be on here because of his injury. There are other injured players on this list but Story's ETA isn't exact yet. He's a just miss.

Here's my Top 5 Worst MLB Contract for 2023:

5. Aaron Hicks, New York Yankees ($10,785,714)

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The Yankees tried to outsmart everyone by extending Hicks in 2019 to a 7 year/$70 million extension in 2019. They figured the long term deal would keep the AAV down and that would help with the luxury tax. Instead they got a player that a Yankee fan like Hubbs calls "pathetic".

The last two seasons have been especially bad. He's either been hurt or lousy. The only reason he's not higher on this list is the Yankees for some reason (cheap?) decided not to go after a left fielder this off-season so Hicks is going to get some playing time. If I didn't hate the Yankees, I'd feel bad about this.

4. Anthony Rendon, Los Angeles Angels ($38,571,428)

Maybe Rendon turns it around this year. Maybe he's finally healthy. He's easily the guy on this list with the most upside. But would you bet on a 33 year old that has played a total of 105 games the past two seasons combined with a .235/.328/.381 slash line? I can't see anyway he becomes someone who deserves $38 million in 2023.

The Angels really need a big year out of Rendon. They are trying hard to show Shohei Ohtani that they can be a competitive team this year so he will re-sign. They made a bunch of decent but not great free agent signings like Tyler Anderson and Brandon Drury in hopes of improving a 73-89 team. I think it's a better chance Rendon stinks again and they miss the playoffs for a ninth season.

3. Jackie Bradley, Jr, Boston Red Sox ($8,000,000)

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Jackie Bradley Jr. doesn't even play for the Red Sox anymore. In fact, he's available to every MLB team at the minimum salary and no one signed him yet this off-season. That wouldn't be great for the Red Sox but it gets even worse. 

For some bizarre reason, the Sox traded a good outfielder making less money in Hunter Renfroe for Bradley and two prospects. Well, "prospects". 22 year old Alex Binelas hit .206 in A/AA last year. The last player in the deal, David Hamilton had a better season hitting .251 with 12 homer in AA…but he's 24 years old.

I guess Jackie Bradley, Jr. won that trade. He gets $8 million dollars too sit at home this year.

2. Patrick Corbin, Washington Nationals ($24,416,667)

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If you at the overall contract the Nationals made for Corbin, it's not all bad. He was a big part of the 2019 World Series championship  team. Then he just proceeded to get worse every year after that. Last season might be rock bottom. He went 6-19 with a 6.31 ERA. To his credit, he's stayed healthy and has made 31 starts in both 2021 and 2022. He's also led the league in earned runs each year.

The Nats are fucked this year. There is some value in a veteran going out there and pitching every fifth day. I have no idea what happens in that clubhouse but I didn't hear anything negative about him last year. It can't be easy to go 6-19 after you've had major success. Then again, I hope I'd be a decent guy at work if I was making $24 million a year.

1. Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals ($35,000,000)

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This one just bums me out. I'm a Mets fan so it's not like I am hoping Stephen Strasburg wins 20 games but he was a fun pitcher to watch. He had surgery for Thoracic Outlet Syndrome in 2021 and after some failed attempts to come back since then, he isn't even with the team to start spring training. 

TOS has not only killed Strasburg's career, it also ruined Matt Harvey's and Shaun Marcum's as well. Chris Carpenter was able to come back from it to make a few late season starts in 2012 but retired immediately afterwards. Harvey and Carpenter both were very good but Strasburg was potentially on his way to be a Hall of Famer. 

The Nationals signed him to a massive 7 year/$245 million dollar extension after they won the World Series in 2019. He's only made eight starts since then and has three more years BEYOND 2023 where he will make $35 million. He's almost a lock to be heading up this list for not only this year but the foreseeable future.