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$18.25 Million Red Sox Contract Considered Among Worst in MLB

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jon Conahan | Last updated May 26, 2025 1:50 PM ET

When the Boston Red Sox signed Patrick Sandoval to a deal, they understood that he'd be out for the early stages of this campaign. He's started to throw again in recent days and should be back on the mound sometime in the summer, according to reports.

Despite the Red Sox understanding that he wasn't healthy, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report still believes that he has one of the worst contracts in Major League Baseball after the first two months of the season, adding that these players not playing, which included Sandoval, hurts their value.

“With Sandoval, Bieber and Kim, their injuries were already known and they were each signed to back-loaded two-year deals because of them. With the other four pitchers, however, those injuries surfaced after they signed—or, in Cole's case, opted out before re-accepting the original contract terms anyway. Either way, none of these seven players has yet to play in 2025,” he wrote.

It's tough to say that the Red Sox made too big of a mistake by signing Sandoval, considering he's on a back-loaded deal.

He's on a two-year, $18.25 million contract.

He's only set to make $5.5 million this season and $12.75 million the year after, so the hope was for him to be ready to go during the 2026 campaign, at the very least.

If Sandoval can return in the summer and give the Red Sox good innings, the rotation should be in a better position. He wasn't great in 2024, posting a 5.08 ERA and 1.51 WHIP, but he posted a 2.91 ERA in 2022.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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