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Rockies Star's Disastrous Contract Named 'Ugliest in Baseball'

Originally posted on Colorado Rockies on SI
By Tyler Maher | Last updated Dec 1, 2025 2:00 PM ET

There's a lot of money in Major League Baseball, and thus no shortage of horrendous contracts. Every winter, it seems, multiple teams sign players to big deals that don't work out, either due to injuries or poor performance. Nobody knows the future, and even the best players can decline without warning.

Numerous teams are saddled with bad contracts as a result, making it tough to determine which one is the worst. Anthony Rendon's seven-year, $245 million whopper is certainly up there, but it only has one year remaining and is nearly over.

With Rendon's megadeal nearly up, the Colorado Rockies now have the worst contract in baseball, according to The Athletic.

Rockies Star's Deal Ranked Worst in Baseball

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To kick off December and the true start of the offseason, Cody Stavenhagen ranked the worst contracts in baseball for The Athletic. Unfortunately for Colorado, Kris Bryant's deal was at the top of that list.

Whereas Rendon (No. 2 on the list) is heading into his final year with the Los Angeles Angels, Bryant still has three years left with the Rockies at $27 million per season. That's a lot of money for an injury-prone 33-year-old who's had a negative WAR in each of the last three seasons.

It's been four years since Colorado signed Bryant to a seven-year, $182 million contract, and the club has very little to show for it. He's missed extensive time in all four of his seasons with the Rockies, never playing more than 80 games in a season and appearing in just 170 games total -- barely the equivalent of one full campaign.

Not surprisingly, age and the constant injuries have taken a giant toll on Bryant's performance. Over the last three seasons, the former NL MVP has batted just .222/.307/.335 with 12 home runs, 47 RBI and -2.2 WAR over 128 games.

Is Bryant's Contract Salvageable?

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Unfortunately for Colorado, the franchise is likely stuck with Bryant. Based on his high salary and recent track record of injuries and poor performance, his contract is untradeable unless the team is willing to eat a large chunk of it.

With the four-time All-Star heading into his age-34 season, a return to form is highly unlikely at this stage of his career. His body and skills have clearly eroded, perhaps beyond repair. Meanwhile, Denver's altitude makes his recovery even more challenging.

At this point, all the Rockies can do is hope he bounces back somewhat and stays healthy enough to provide at least some value, but his contract is already a sunk cost.