How MLB players performed in first season after signing massive deals

The deal Stanton signed in November 2014 with the Marlins blew away the previous MLB high-water mark by more than $50 million; the 13-year contract also set a standard for length. The first year of the deal was a disappointment for Stanton, who was limited to only 74 games due to a broken bone in his right hand. At the time of the injury in June, he had 27 home runs, four that traveled more than 460 feet.

A-Rod redefined the game’s financial high-water mark not once, but twice, the first time coming when he inked a $252 million deal with the Texas Rangers in 2001. In his first year in Arlington, Rodriguez led the American League with 52 home runs and 393 total bases. He also became the third player in history with 50 homers and 200 hits in a season. He made $20 million more on his second epic deal, this time with the Yankees in 2008. That season he hit 35 home runs, scored 104 runs and led the AL with a .573 slugging percentage.

On the heels of his third consecutive batting title and second straight AL MVP, Cabrera was signed by the Tigers to a $247 million extension. Although 2014 would be the only year between 2011 and 2015 that Miggy would not top the AL in batting, he still managed to hit .313, drive in more than 100 runs for the seventh consecutive year for the Tigers and lead the league with 52 doubles.

The Mariners shocked the baseball world with the deal for Cano’s services, reaching a level the Yankees refused to go for their All-Star second baseman. In Year 1 in the Pacific Northwest, Cano made his fifth consecutive All-Star team and finished fifth in AL MVP voting. However, he posted his lowest power numbers in seven years (14 HRs, 82 RBI) because of a gastrointestinal issue that plagued him late in the year.

Angels owner Arte Moreno stunningly lured Pujols from St. Louis with the second-largest contract in MLB history at the time. Although Pujols hit 30 home runs and 50 doubles and drove in 105 runs for the Angels in 2012, his overall performance was well short of the lofty standards he set in St. Louis. He hit at least 40 HRs six times with the Cardinals.

With an NL MVP, Gold Glove and two on-base crowns already under his belt, the Reds made Votto the highest-paid player in franchise history in April 2012. He led the NL in walks (135) and on-base percentage (.474) and had a career-best .337 batting average. Votto's torrid 2012 season was interrupted in mid-July because of a meniscus tear in his left knee. He missed 1 1/2 months.

At the time of his signing, Price’s deal was the richest in history by a pitcher, earning him just under $1 million per start. Although he finished with 17 wins and led the AL in innings pitched with 230, his first year in Boston was an up-and-down affair. His first-half ERA was over 4.00, and he allowed the most hits in the AL that season. His postseason struggles continued as well -- he allowed five runs over 3.1 innings in an ALCS defeat.

Kershaw had arguably the greatest new-money season in MLB history in 2014. The Dodgers' lefty went 21-3 with a 1.77 ERA in a season that also included a 41-inning scoreless streak. He was a unanimous NL Cy Young Award winner and the first hurler named NL MVP since Bob Gibson in 1968.

The Detroit Tigers surprisingly signed the slugging first baseman to a nine-year, $214 million deal. (In 2011, he carried Milwaukee to the NLCS.) In his first of two seasons in Detroit, Fielder hit a career-best .313. slugged  30 home runs, drove in 108 runs and scored 83. He also won his second All-Star Home Run Derby crown, joining Ken Griffey Jr. as the only player with multiple Derby crowns at the time.

In his first NL season, Scherzer threw two no-hitters, becoming the sixth player to accomplish the feat twice in a season. At one point, the Nationals' pitcher retired 52 consecutive batters. He led the league in complete games (4) and shutouts (3). 

Greinke’s six-year, $216 million deal with Arizona made him the highest-paid pitcher in history on an annual average value. But Greinke struggled with a bad back and oblique injuries during his first season in Arizona. He finished with a 13-7 record and 4.37 ERA, nearly three runs higher than with the Dodgers the previous season. 

Primed to reach free agency for the first time, Jeter was signed by the Yankees to a 10-year contract. At the time, it was the second-most lucrative contract in professional sports, trailing only Alex Rodriguez’s record rate agreed to earlier in the same offseason. In 2001, Jeter posted one of his typically excellent all-around campaigns, hitting .311 with 21 home runs, 110 runs and 27 stolen bases. In an atypical performance, he struggled in the postseason, hitting .136 in 44 ALCS and World Series at-bats.

Mauer signed an extension in March 2010, and had an excellent season. He hit .327 with an .871 OPS, good enough for a third straight Silver Slugger Award. He earned his third consecutive Gold Glove behind the plate as well.

The Cubs signed Heyward to an eight-year contract that included two opt-out chances over the life of it. Although he remained one of the great defensive presences in the game the following season, winning a fourth Gold Glove, he struggled mightily at the plate. Heyward hit only .230 with a career-low seven home runs and a paltry .631 OPS.

Teixeira was one-third of the huge Yankees spending spree in the winter of 2008, joining CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett as a part of a near-$500 million offseason. Teixeira delivered in Year 1 in the Bronx, leading the AL in home runs (39), RBI (122) and total bases (344). He also earned Gold Glove, Silver Slugger and All-Star honors and finished runner-up in AL MVP voting. The Yankees won the World Series.

Verlander reupped with the Tigers leading into the 2013 season, becoming the highest-paid pitcher in MLB history. Although he was an All-Star for the sixth time, Verlander regressed some, sparking worry about a high workload. But Verlander put those concerns aside amid a dominant ALDS vs. Oakland, throwing 15 shutout innings with 21 strikeouts over two starts.

For a month, King Felix was the highest-paid pitcher in history until Justin Verlander’s next deal bested his by $5 million. But unlike Verlander, Hernandez remained at the top of his game after signing the deal, finishing with a 12-10 record and striking out 216 in 204.1 innings in 2013 for Seattle. His 3.04 ERA was sixth-best in the American League.

Armed with the (in)famous Scott Boras as his agent, Strasburg appeared headed toward one of the most competitive and lucrative free-agent markets in history following the 2016 season. But that talk came to a startling end when Strasburg agreed to a rare seven-year, mid-season extension in 2016. Although the Nationals' righty would make a pair of trips to the disabled list during the 2017 season, he finished 15-4. 

Coming off a batting title and an MVP- and World Series-winning season the year before, the cornerstone catcher was signed by the Giants to a nine-year extension in March 2013. Posey hit .294 that season, made his second All-Star appearance and called his first career no-hitter when Tim Lincecum shut down the San Diego Padres in July.

Coming off a dominant season with the Milwaukee Brewers, Sabathia signed a record seven-year deal with the Yankees in the winter of 2008. Sabathia made good on the Yankees' investment in 2009, winning 19 games with a 3.37 ERA. He earned MVP of the ALCS and posted a 1.98 postseason ERA over five starts. The Yankees won the World Series. 

Davis signed a seven-year deal, the richest in Orioles history, in January 2016. Year 1 was a study in extremes: Davis hit 38 home runs and drove in 84, but he struck out an MLB-high 219 times, 32 percent of his at-bats, and batted .221.

After he finished second in the MVP voting in 2011, the Dodgers signed Kemp to an eight-year extension. He started fast the next season, hitting 11 home runs in April, but he never was able to completely bounce back from hamstring injuries that cost him two months. He hurt his shoulder crashing into a wall later in the season. He required surgery in the offseason.

Ramirez joined Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter in hitting the jackpot in the winter of 2000, signing an eight-year deal for $160 million guaranteed but potential to reach $200 million. Although hamstring injuries slowed a red-hot first half, the Red Sox's slugger still hit 41 home runs and drove in 125 runs in 2001. 

After he signed an eight-year extension with the Rockies, Tulowitzki proved he was the best shortstop in MLB. In 2011, he hit  30 home runs, drove in 100 runs for the first time and became an All-Star starter for the first time. He also won a second consecutive Fielding Bible Award as top defensive shortstop.

The Yankees signed the much-heralded Tanaka to a seven-year, $155 million deal, the most lucrative contract for a foreign player. He won 12 games before the All-Star break. But elbow injuries sliced into the second half of the season, causing him to miss  two months, and he finished 13-5. He pitched only twice in September.