Ranking the 5 worst contracts in the NL Central: Brewers avoid the top spot

Generally speaking, the Milwaukee Brewers avoid handing out contracts that could be considered albatrosses around their necks. While it is obnoxious having ownership that refuses to spend on payroll, the one plus to that is that they usually don't end up with deals that haunt the Brewers for years upon years. That said, they are not completely immune to payroll whoopsies and the rest of the NL Central certainly makes their fair share of mistakes.

Here are the five worst contracts in the NL Central

By in large, the NL Central has relatively clean finances right now. While there were some pretty rough contracts handed out in the past, a lot of them have already played out and there haven't been a ton recently that are uniquely terrible as MLB teams as a whole have gotten a lot smarter about how they spend their money.

However, a few stinkers have still found their way onto teams' payrolls in the Central including Milwaukee's books. The goal here is to identify deals that remain bad deals for 2025 and beyond, not just identifying expiring deals that WERE bad. It will make more sense as we go along, we promises.

Here are the worst contracts in the NL Central heading into the 2025 season.

5.) Jeimer Candelario - Reds - Three years, $45 million

Given that the Reds are another team that generally operates a smaller payroll, it is pretty surprising to see them with a strong contender on this list. However, Candelario's three year, $45 million deal that he received before the 2024 season is looking pretty rough after his -0.6 rWAR 2024 season that saw him deal with injuries and post a .225/.279/.429 line when he did play.

Candelario can be a valuable player and it does feel likely that, at minimum, his OBP will bounce back a bit next season. However, the remaining $30 million he is owed over the next two years is still likely to be money that Cincinnati wishes they could have spent elsewhere.

4.) Steven Matz - Cardinals - Four years, $44 million

In recent years, the Cardinals have had a weird fascination with signing pitchers past their prime to fill out their rotation. That trend continued when they signed Matz to a four year deal worth $44 million before the 2022 season. Matz's first season with the Cardinals did not go well and was followed by a decent 2023 campaign. Unfortunately, 2024 showed that, on balance, this deal was a mistake.

On top of posting a 5.08 ERA when he did pitch, Matz' injury issues continued to plague him as a back injury kept him off the field for a large chunk of the season. The silver lining here is that there is only one year left on Matz's deal which keeps his contract from ranking higher, but the $12.5 million St. Louis is paying him still is likely to look like a sunk cost.

3.) Ke'Bryan Hayes - Pirates - Eight years, $70 million

Normally, a long-term deal at a very reasonable AAV for a promising young player are exactly the kinds of deals teams want to give out as they remove the ambiguity of arbitration and keep costs down. However, that doesn't mean that such deals don't come without some risk and unfortunately the Pirates have found that out with their $70 million extension handed out to Ke'Bryan Hayes.

Just a few years ago, Hayes was considered one of the hottest young players in baseball and was considered a future franchise cornerstone for them. However, Hayes had dealt with some injuries in the subsequent years and the .673 OPS he has averaged over the last three seasons leaves a lot to be desired as he has failed to develop into the power and hitting ability most thought he would. Just like that, Pittsburgh owes a guy at least $36 million through 2029 and it is unclear if he will even survive on their roster that long.

2.) Christian Yelich - Brewers - Nine years, $215 million

This is a tough one because, at the time, Yelich's contract was seen as a huge coup for a Brewers organization that generally keeps their wallets closed. Yelich was a perennial MVP candidate that they were fortunate to pick up at all and signing him long-term felt like the organization FINALLY figured out that they are going to have to spend a bit to remain in contention.

Unfortunately, the years since that deal was inked have been less kind to Yelich as Father Time and some truly terribly-timed injuries robbed him of his former glory. When he is on the field, he is still a tremendous player and there is a chance his deal ends up looking just fine. However, having a guy who is injured as much as he is under contract for $22 million a year through at least 2028 looks like Yelich's contact could age exceedingly poorly for the Brewers.

1.) Dansby Swanson - Cubs - Seven years, $177 million

Taking the top spot here is a deal that was generally lauded at the time. Dansby Swanson entered free agency as one of the top shortstops available and the Cubs swooped in with a seven year deal that, while pricey, was considered a worthwhile investment for a Chicago team looking to solidify their window of contention. However, some fundamental problems have emerged with Swanson's profile that make this deal problematic.

In his two years with the Cubs, Swanson has seen his power production dip while averaging a .243 batting average at the plate. That is not an ideal situation to be in as that means there is a lot of pressure on his two carrying tools in his speed and defense. Those are two tools that do not age well and at 30 years old, the odds that he will continue to justify his contract are quite low. With $137 million left on his deal through the 2029 season, Swanson is an easy choice for #1 here.