MLB: The all over-paid team based on 2020 salaries

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The MLB is the only league out of the big-four American professional sports leagues without a fixed salary cap. This allows a number of wealthy teams to toss money around like it’s dirt. But it also allows certain players to earn hefty paycheques, even those who don’t necessarily earn it with their play.

The MLB, unlike any other sport, sees players sign contracts up-above $300 million at times. This allows players to earn large amounts of their team’s payroll.

For guys like Mike Trout, and Gerrit Cole, this isn’t typically a problem. As much as their salaries are astronomical, these are the type of players who justify it by earning MVP’s and Cy Young awards.

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What about the players who sign big contracts, but don’t play up to it? Some players receive pay due to past performance, in an attempt for teams to honor players who have brought their program success. Other athletes receive pay, and then simply fail to perform to their expected level. And some get caught up to by Father Time and still remain on hefty contracts which they signed at a younger, more productive age.

These athletes are often viewed with disdain by their fanbases. Hundred of thousands of people just demanding they get traded to an opposing team because they aren’t playing up to their pay.

How about we take a look at some of those players, and build a team of the most overpaid players in the MLB. The team assembled here combines to make $174.1 million over the course of the 2020 season, and they certainly don’t seem to deserve it.

I would first like to preface this by saying that this is a team for the 2020 season. Meaning that I went solely based on their 2020 salary and not the complete sum of the contract they signed.

Pitcher: Jordan Zimmermann: $25 million

At the time the Detroit Tigers signed this contract, it seemed like a solid deal. Jordan Zimmermann was coming off four consecutive strong seasons as a member of the Washington Nationals, including two all-star seasons.

Since coming to Detroit, the Tigers have only finished with a record over .500 once, and have gone downhill ever since, to the point where they finished 2019 as the worst team in baseball with a record of 47-114.

Zimmermann’s lowest ERA as a member of the Detroit Tigers came in 2018, and it was only 4.52, and he set a career-high for earned runs the year before, giving up 108.

Luckily for the Tigers, this is the final season of his deal. It’s safe to say that teams won’t be fighting for the opportunity to sign Zimmermann to another large contract at the conclusion of this season.

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Catcher: Buster Posey – $22.2 million

I hate to do this to a player who has had such an outstanding career, but Buster Posey seems to be trailing in a downwards direction.

After four consecutive all-star seasons, Posey posted career lows in the majority of his stats, including a below .700 OPS for the first time in his career since his rookie season, which only saw him play seven games. Posey also finished with career lows in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage.

In Posey’s career, he has only played in under 100 games twice. In seasons where he played over 100 games, 2019 was Posey’s lowest year for hits and RBI’s and was his second-highest strikeout total for his career.

This contract was signed prior to 2013, and Posey has definitely earned the contract as a whole, but for 2020, and going forward, it doesn’t look pretty. San Francisco Giants fans will never complain about paying Posey though, as they shouldn’t. The catcher has helped bring them 3 world series titles, including an MVP season in the course of his career.

First Base: Chris Davis – $21.1 million

Chris Davis is experiencing one of the biggest drop-offs I have seen in my time of watching professional sports. As far as a guy who continues to play as a starter, but I wouldn’t expect to see Davis starting for much longer if this keeps up.

Davis has hit under .200 two seasons in a row now, and his salary remains over $20 million throughout 2022. It’s not a pretty look, but for a team that went from making the playoffs in 2016 to finishing 2019 with 108 losses, the Baltimore Orioles trend downward alongside Davis.

For a player who once finished third in MVP, and hit 53 home runs, Davis’ hitting abilities have diminished.

As a rebuilding team, the Orioles will likely look to bring in young talent, and call up players from the minor leagues to build towards the future. It’s only a matter of time till Davis is chewing gum, and watching games from the dugout for $22 million per season.

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Second Base: Dustin Pedroia – $13.1 million

A lot of people will say this should be Robinson Cano, and to me, he’s definitely a close backup for this team. Even though Dustin Pedroia is set to make $11 million less this season than Cano, he is still vastly more overpaid.

For starters, Pedroia has played a total of nine games in the past two seasons. When you include the additions of Jose Peraza and Michael Chavis to the vast amount of knee injuries Pedroia has suffered, you get a third-string second baseman who makes over $25 million for the next two seasons.

Pedroia is a player who is typically disliked among opposing fan bases. Partially due to the fact that he’s on the despised Boston Red Sox, but also due to the fact that he was a very good player in his prime. An MVP in 2008, two world series trophies, a four-time all-star, and a four-time gold glove winner, yet will end his career on a sad note.

Pedroia, like Posey, is a player who would be difficult to criticize for making this much money, due to his amazing contributions to the Red Sox organization since 2007. But in the grand scheme of things, he is the most overpaid second baseman.

Third Base: Matt Carpenter – $18.5 million

Matt Carpenter follows the trend of playing some amazing, and productive years with a club, being rewarded by that club, and the organization eventually regretting the decision.

Carpenter isn’t completely horrible. In my opinion, he is still a productive player. He’s just not worth a salary over $18 million, and he isn’t in the same stratosphere as the player that he used to be.

Excluding his first two seasons in the league, 2019 saw Carpenter post career lows in runs, hits, doubles, walks, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS. It is fair to say the drop off came fast, and at a poor time, where the St. Louis Cardinals could have to pay Carpenter $18 million per season, for the next three years.

It will be interesting to see if 2019 was a one year blip, or if this is the new norm for Carpenter, and the Cardinals may just have to swallow an $18 million pill.

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Shortstop: Brandon Crawford – $15.2 million

We head back to San Francisco for the shortstop position, where the Giants extended big salaries to another player who contributed to their world series victories.

Brandon Crawford was never a fantastic batter. His career-high in RBI’s was 84, and the best batting average of his career was .275. However, solid production at the plate, and consistency in the field is what made him such a great player.

After seven straight seasons with a WAR above 2.0, including back to back seasons above 5.0, Crawford dipped to 0.2 last season.

He’s another player with a quick drop off in 2019, and the Giants are going to have to deal with paying him $15 million per year for the next two seasons. The good news for the Giants is that they got their three world series chips within the past 10 seasons because they are beginning to enter a rebuilding stage, which includes waiting for a couple of bad contracts to run off the books.

Left Field: Wil Myers – $22.5 million

I’m still flabbergasted at the contract Wil Myers received. A player who has put together a single all-star season, but has been around average or below average ever since.The past two seasons, Myers has failed to hit 60 RBI’s and his batting average has been below .260 both years as well. Not exactly the type of production worth paying $22 million for.

Center Field: Randal Grichuk – $13 million

The Toronto Blue Jays have one of the greatest collections of young talent in the league, and they have decided to hand Randal Grichuk the keys to be the vet in the locker room.

There was confusion amongst Jays fans immediately after the contract was signed. He hadn’t performed up to the tune of $13 million, but the front office just seemed to have faith in his abilities.

Last season, Grichuk only hit .232 and was sent all around the outfield. Mainly to satisfy the needs of some of the younger players trying to find their roles, but there were times where Grichuk didn’t even look like the best outfielder on the team.

Even though outfield is probably the weakest position for the Blue Jays and their young guys, they probably could have done better than Grichuk for $13 million.

Blue Jays fans have to hope that the hidden ability which the front office sees arises to the forefront, or else they’ll be looking at an over-paid outfielder through 2023.

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Right Field: Jason Heyward – $23.5 million

The third highest right fielder in the league, behind two of the league’s best players, Bryce Harper and Mookie Betts (who will likely be moved to left field with the Los Angeles Dodgers).

He is a fantastic defender, and a guy who hit .251/.343/.429 last year, which total up to average numbers at the plate. However, average doesn’t cut it for $23.5 million, not to mention the entire contract adding up to $184 million.

After the move to the Chicago Cubs, his highest WAR was 2.2 in 2017. He was an absolutely disappearance during the 2016 title run but nevertheless has a ring.

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Maybe the Cubs can take home another world series title by 2023, besides, that’s how long they’ll be paying Heyward over $20 million for.

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