Whether it’s spending a lot of money searching for a title or extending a player for too much too soon, teams inevitably write a stinker along the way.
Ranking the worst contracts in the National League East
The Washington Nationals and Miami Marlins don’t have a bad active contract because they don’t have a significant contract on the books for 2025.
- The Marlins' only guaranteed contract in 2025 is Sandy Alcántara’s $17.3M. Alcántara hasn’t thrown a pitch for the franchise at any level for a year, but in an age when it’s not unusual to draft a pitcher who just had UCL replacement surgery, it’s unreasonable to suggest it’s a bad deal.
- Keibert Ruiz makes $5.4M next year and is the only player on the Nationals roster with a guaranteed contract for 2025.
I know the Nats will pay Steven Strasburg $35M next year, but he’s retired, and Mike Rizzo’s done an excellent job of grabbing and growing prospects without tanking; look for the Nationals to spend big this winter.
They aren’t bad yet, but…
Any deal that takes a player into his late 30s or farther is a bad contract waiting to happen, and NL East teams have a few of these on the books, starting with the Mets.
Brandon Nimmo’s success depends on his legs and strike-zone awareness, but he’s lost time with hamstring and quad injuries every year. At 31, and he’s still a two-win player, history suggests that his $20.5M contract will look like an overpay in the near future.
Francisco Lindor is 30 and having an MVP-caliber season, but it’s a stretch to think he’ll be worth $34.1M in 2031 when he’s a 38-year-old shortstop.
Closer Edwin Diaz is still one of the best closers around, but he’s 30, and his trumpets aren’t as loud this year. Closers are fragile, and paying a closer who throws as hard as Diaz an AAV of $19.5M is risky.
The Phillies and Braves
The Phillies will pay Aaron Nola an AAV of $24.5M through his age 37 season. Nola is quietly one of the game’s best pitchers in big-game situations, and the relative value of his contract will diminish over time, but it’s hard to see this deal holding up that long.
The Braves acquired Sean Murphy because he was better on both sides of the ball than William Contreras’ projections moving forward. Murphy’s offense almost vanished as he struggled with illness and injury over the last 15 months. His defense makes him a 2.5 fWAR catcher this year, and he can’t remain in BAbip purgatory forever, but it’s fair to wonder whether his $15M will remain a good value in the final two years of his deal.