These Are the Four Worst Chicago Cubs Contracts on Next Season's Payroll

The Chicago Cubs have tried to be contenders over the last two years, but have fallen well short of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central and cannot compete with contenders in the two other divisions for a Wild Card berth.

This could be the offseason to change that with the amount of offensive talent available on the market, but to this point, the club has made questionable additions to their roster, including two that land on this list of the four worst contracts for their 2025 payroll.

C Matt Thaiss

One-Year, $1 Million

Matt Thaiss was one of the first of the new additions to the roster, acquired from the Los Angeles Angels on Nov. 20 for cash considerations.

Thaiss mainly served as the backup catcher for the Angels and looks to do the same for the Cubs behind Miguel Amaya.

The issue lies with the $1 million deal that Chicago gave him to avoid arbitration.

He's not just any backup catcher, he is one that has a career batting line of .208/.313/.342 with 22 home runs, 79 RBI, and an 81 OPS+ across 771 plate appearances in 245 games.

It is not as if Thaiss was brought in for his catching ability, either, as he does rank well at blocking wild pitches, but his framing and ability to control the run game fall well below average.

RP Julian Merryweather

One-Year, $1.2 Million

Julian Merryweather is another player that the Cubs signed a deal with to avoid arbitration, this one that is for one year and $1.2 million.

Injuries derailed Merryweather's 2024 campaign, reaching only 15 innings and carrying a 6.60 ERA in that time.

In 2023, the reliever posted the best season of his career with a 3.38 ERA across 72 innings in 69 games with a 127 ERA+.

It was only the second time in the MLB that Merryweather posted an ERA+ above 100, and only the first in a full season's workload. He carries a career ERA+ of 92.

While he could certainly bounce back, assuming he stays healthy in 2025, it is highly unlikely with the long track record of average that he has produced. The club also probably would have faired better in arbitration.

SP Matthew Boyd

Two years, $29 Million

Chicago signed Boyd to a two-year, $29 million contract on Dec. 2, adding the veteran to the backend of their rotation.

The issue here is that they would have been much better served to go after Max Fried or Corbin Burnes, and while they could still do that, they are still on the hook for $14.5 million AAV during the length of this deal.

Boyd has never been a pitcher who can pitch a full season, making 30 or more starts in only two out of eight years with the most recent coming in 2019.

He will turn 34 in February, and bodies do not tend to get healthier with age.

The veteran is coming off of one of the best stretches of his career, pitching to a 2.72 ERA across 39 2/3 innings in eight starts in 2024, but that is a very small sample size and it is highly unlikely he is able to repeat that, much less come close to it.

1B Cody Bellinger

One-Year, $27.5 Million; Player Option for 2026 Could Make It Two years, $52.5 Million

By the time Opening Day arrives, Cody Bellinger may be part of another team, but as of now, he is still with the Cubs, and his contract is atrocious.

After a career renaissance in 2023, Chicago signed Bellinger to a three-year, $80 million deal with an opt-out after 2024. The third year included a player option.

The issue here is the level of inconsistency that Bellinger has shown at the plate throughout his career.

While he did win an MVP in 2019, the bulk of his production that year came before June, and the batter has not been the same ever since.

From 2020 through 2024, Bellinger has batted just .244/.306/.425 with 85 home runs, 309 RBI, and a 100 OPS+ across 2,268 plate appearances in 555 games.

Defensively, he is a perennial Gold Glove contender at multiple positions, but that alone does not make him worth $27.5 million in 2025.

All figures accurate as of Dec. 3.