With MLB free agency now underway, fans should be reminded that not all contracts are good.
Fans may be happy their teams signed a star player, but in a few years, that guy may be a shell of himself.
Bad contracts have always been a part of baseball and there are plenty still being paid out.
Here are two of the worst contracts in the MLB right now.
Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals
After putting together a masterful performance in the 2019 World Series, Stephen Strasburg got paid by the Washington Nationals.
At the time it seemed like a good deal for the Nats to lock up their ace, and World Series MVP.
The right-hander was coming off a 209.0-inning season that saw him finish fifth in NL Cy Young voting.
But, ever since that deal was signed, everything has gone downhill.
In the three seasons following that signing, Strasburg has thrown a total of 30.4 innings.
Fun fact: Over the last three seasons, Stephen Strasburg has made…
$13.125M per start
$3.35M per inning
$1.12M per out recorded
$745K per batter faced
$199K per pitch thrown— Eric Cross (@EricCross04) November 29, 2022
The 33-year-old has had a plethora of injuries that keep him sidelined for long periods.
It seems unlikely he will ever come close to his 2019 form again.
Washington is still set to pay Strasburg $35 million per year over the next four seasons.
It is hard to find a worse contract in baseball than this one.
Anthony Rendon, Los Angeles Angels
Another player who was a part of the 2019 Nationals championship team was third baseman, Anthony Rendon.
Rendon was one of the key cogs in the Nationals’ lineup that year.
The third baseman hit .319 with 34 home runs and led the NL in RBIs with 126, and doubles with 44.
His efforts placed him third in the NL MVP voting that year.
All of that work allowed Rendon to sign a seven-year, $245 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels.
The last time the Winter Meetings were held in San Diego, we saw some big contracts signed 👀💸
Get ready for next week 🍿 pic.twitter.com/ahqyvfQhRD
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) December 2, 2022
Which has been a disaster so far for LA.
In the past two seasons, Rendon has played a total of 105 games.
Like Strasburg, he gets injured far too often.
He has also only hit 11 home runs over the past two years.
LA is still in line to pay Rendon $38 million per year over the next four seasons.
If he can’t find a streak of good health, this contract will go down as one of the worst ever.