MLB: Top 4 Players Entering Huge Contract Years

In sports, we often see players excel when entering their contract years. In these years players can either solidify their high net worth, or diminish their value greatly. Heading into 2017, who are the top 4 MLB players entering contract years?

For those of you that are unfamiliar, a contract year in sports is the season in which a player is entering his last year under contract. The importance of this is that, of course, said player will be hitting the free agent market in the following off-season. Players often seek to have outstanding years in hopes that the payday will be significantly greater. A great, recent example of this is Zack Greinke and his 2015 season. Following 2015, Greinke had the opportunity to opt out of the remaining years of his contract with the Dodgers. Greinke of course had a fantastic year, opted out, and cashed out in Arizona for a whopping $206 million dollars.

Next season these specific players will be playing with a little more emphasis than normal. With hopes that after this season they can finally receive that coveted contract they have always wanted, these four guys seem to be in prime position to have outstanding seasons. However, these outstanding seasons can sometimes be misleading. Going back to the Zack Greinke example, Greinke followed up his 1.66 2015 ERA with a 4.36 ERA in 2017. After these outstanding seasons, teams often jump the gun in hopes that this signing can prove to be a pivotal point for the franchise.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, if a player has a bad contract year it can instantly hurt their value. An example of this occurring this off-season lies within Jose Bautista. Sure, age is definitely a factor in decisions, but chances are if Bautista slugged 40 home runs again then his off-season would have been more promising.

So, who exactly are these four players entering in to important contract years?