2023 MLB Preview: The 11 worst contracts in baseball currently

Initial Deal: 13 Years and $325 Million
Amount Remaining: $160 Million

It's hard to know what to make of Stanton's Yankees legacy. He has hit 30 or more home runs on three occasions, but also three of his five seasons in New York have been littered with injuries. Considering he currently is sitting on 378 career home runs, Stanton will almost certainly reach 500 over the five remaining years on his contract. But if Brian Cashman and the Yankees had waited one more year to make a major move, they could have had Manny Machado or Bryce Harper, both of whom would have been better investments.

Initial Deal: Seven Years and $188.5 Million
Amount Remaining: $156 Million

Between 2018 and 2019, Yelich slashed .327/.415/.631 with 80 home runs, 207 RBIs and a 1.046 OPS. He won the NL MVP in 2018 -- his first season with the Brewers -- and finished as the runner-up in 2019. Ahead of the 2020 season, the Brewers rewarded Yelich with a seven-year/$188.5 million extension, the largest contract in franchise history. In parts of three seasons since then, Yelich has slashed .243/.358/.388 with 35 home runs, 130 RBIs and a .745 OPS. Over his first two seasons as a Brewer, Yelich posted a 14.9 WAR, per FanGraphs. Since then, he's been worth 4.6 WAR. For a franchise that doesn't usually choose to make large expenditures, the Brewers might like a mulligan on Yelich's long-term deal, especially as Brandon Woodruff and Corbin Burnes inch closer to free agency.

Initial Deal: Five Years and $100 Million
Amount Remaining: $80 Million

There's optimism in Philadelphia that Castellanos will rebound in 2023, but from an individual sense, he had a disastrous first season in red pinstripes. In 2022, Castellanos posted a .694 OPS, -0.7 WAR and -8 defensive runs saved. He may very well regress to the mean in a positive sense offensively, returning to being one of the best doubles hitters in the sport. But he'll likely see significant time in right field again in 2023 as Bryce Harper recovers from Tommy John surgery. And as Harper, Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto age -- along with Rhys Hoskins, if he's signed beyond 2023 -- the idea of having Castellanos as a primary DH may make even less sense, even if he's hitting well.

Initial Deal: Four Years and $40.6 Million
Amount Remaining: $24 Million

Ahead of the 2021 season, the New York Mets chose not to wait out J.T. Realmuto's free-agent market and instead checked catcher off their wishlist early by signing McCann to a four-year contract. That decision has proved to be a massive miscalculation, as he posted a .610 OPS in two seasons with the team. The Mets traded McCann to the Orioles this offseason, but will still pay the former All-Star $19 million over the next two seasons.

Initial Deal: Four Years and $65 Million
Amount Remaining: $33 Million

During the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Ozuna led the NL in home runs (18), RBIs (56) and total bases (145). That earned him a four-year/$65 million deal that the Braves have regretted ever since. Ozuna has been arrested for and served a suspension for domestic violence since signing his long-term deal. The 32-year-old has also posted just a .675 OPS in 172 games. Alex Anthopoulos rarely misses when he convinces a player to sign a major contract, but he did in this case.

Initial Deal: Five Years and $85 Million
Amount Remaining: $37 Million

Bumgarner is perhaps the greatest postseason pitcher in MLB history, and one of the best pitchers in the history of the San Francisco Giants. So far, his tenure with the Diamondbacks hasn't been quite as memorable. In three seasons since signing a five-year/$85 million deal, Bumgarner is 15-29 with a 4.98 ERA and 5.04 FIP. Bumgarner had a chance to stamp his ticket to Cooperstown if he had a strong run with the Snakes. Instead, quite the opposite has unfolded.

Initial Deal: Five Years and $145 Million
Amount Remaining: $55 Million

Between 2012 and 2018, Sale finished in the top six in AL Cy Young Award voting every year and posted a 39.2 WAR, which trailed only Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer. But after he closed out the 2018 World Series for the Red Sox, Sale was rewarded with a five-year/$145 million extension. He's pitched in just 34 games over the past four seasons, posting a 4.12 ERA.

Initial Deal: Six Years and $140 Million
Amount Remaining: $120 Million

Báez rebounded from a disappointing 2020 season to put together a strong contract year in 2021, a campaign that he split between the Chicago Cubs and New York Mets. But after the Tigers rewarded him with a six-year/$140 million deal in free agency, Báez had a disappointing first season in Detroit, finishing with a .671 OPS. Perhaps more alarming is that the former Gold Glove Award winner posted -4 defensive runs saved in his first season with the Tigers, leaving you to wonder how many more seasons the 30-year-old has as a full-time shortstop. If Báez doesn't rebound in 2023, the free-swinging shortstop could climb up this list.

Initial Deal: Seven Years and $245 Million
Amount Remaining: $152 Million

Rendon finished 10th in AL MVP Award voting after the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, his first year after signing a free-agent deal with the Angels. But the former Washington Nationals star has played in just 105 of 324 regular season games the last two seasons. As the Angels continue to waste the peak years of Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, anyone else around them making a good chunk of money will be seen as having contributed to the lack of team success that the franchise has had despite employing two of the greatest players in MLB history, even if that's not fair. Perhaps if Rendon is healthy in 2023, he'll still prove to be one of the better pure hitters in baseball. Perhaps.

Initial Deal: Six Years and $140 Million
Amount Remaining: $59.4 Million

Given that he helped the Nationals to win the first World Series title in franchise history, it will be hard to ever say the Corbin deal was a mistake. However, things have turned disastrous for Corbin in the three years since. Corbin is 17-42 with a 5.82 ERA and 4.97 FIP since the start of the 2020 season, and grades out as one of the worst qualified starting pitchers in baseball. At this point, there's not much of a reason to believe that the 33-year-old will ever rediscover the form that once made him one of the top left-handed pitchers in the sport.