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Dodgers' $17 Million Dud Considered Worst Contract in Baseball

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jon Conahan | Last updated May 26, 2025 3:45 PM ET

The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Michael Conforto to a one-year, $17 million deal. This type of contract hurts the Dodgers in hindsight, as they're paying a hefty tax bill. However, before the Dodgers signed him, they understood they'd have to pay plenty due to the tax limitations.

While it still made sense to sign the left-handed hitting outfielder, Conforto has been brutal to start the season, hitting .167 with a 63 OPS+. There hasn't been a season in his career where he's been nearly as bad as this.

After hitting 20 home runs for the San Francisco Giants a season ago, he was expected to have a much better campaign this time around.

Instead, he's been one of the worst players in baseball, and Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report even believes he has one of the top 10 worst contracts in the league, adding that at this point, he might not even have trade value around the league.

“The saving grace here is that it's only one year, and what's another $17M to the International Banking Federation that is the Los Angeles Dodgers?...

“At this point, they probably wouldn't even be able to trade him away. If he doesn't start showing legitimate signs of life, might just have to bite the bullet and drop him like the Astros did with José Abreu last June,” he wrote.

It isn’t unfair to suggest that Conforto doesn't have much value around the league right now.

However, it's also important to note that he's still an All-Star who has an opportunity to turn things around.

If he can play better heading into the end of July, he should be in a decent position to get dealt, if the Dodgers want to at that point.

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

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