This offseason has seen players such as Patrick Corbin receive substantial new deals. The two players who are expected to receive the largest contracts, Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, are still unsigned.
Free agent signings do not always go as well as the team expected when they make the deal, whether it’s due to injuries or erosion of skills.
Here is the worst contract handed out to a free agent each offseason since 2010. The last offseason is not included as it’s not fair to judge after just one year although Yu Darvish and Eric Hosmer surely didn’t produce at the level their contracts would suggest.
The year listed is the first season they played under the new contract and not necessarily the year they officially signed the deal. All stats listed come from Baseball Reference.
2017 - Ian Desmond, Rockies 5 years, $70 million
Dexter Fowler and Yoenis Cespedes were two other options, but Desmond has amassed a -1.7 WAR in his two seasons with Colorado. He owns just a .718 OPS as a member of the Rockies despite playing his home games at Coors Field.
2016 - Chris Davis, Orioles 7 years, $161 million
Last season, the 32-year-old Davis had one of the worst seasons of anyone's lifetime. In 522 plate appearances, he batted an atrocious .168. According to CBS Sports, it was the lowest batting average for someone who qualified for the batting title in league history. A former two-time league leader in home runs, he belted just 16 last season. Davis has hit just .202 since signing his mega-deal.