New York Yankees: The top four worst contracts on the current roster

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Almost every team in baseball has its fair share of bad contracts, some definitely more than others. The Yankees are no exception because over the past couple of years they’ve given out a few contracts they probably wish they could take back.

There are more good contracts than bad ones on the current Yankees roster as I showcased in an article for YGY on Friday. However, there’s a chance the bad might end up outweighing the good down the road because of the length of some of the contracts you’re about to see below.

All of them could still end up working out for the Yanks, but so far that hasn’t been the case so it’s hard to be overly optimistic about the future. Here’s the list…

Luis Severino: 4 years, $40M (entering year 2)

Aaron Hicks: 7 years, $70M (entering year 2)

J.A. Happ: 2 years, $34M with a vesting option for 2021 (entering year 2)

Giancarlo Stanton: 10 years, $265M (entering year 3)

A little over a year ago the Yankees signed Hicks and Severino to big extensions at the start of spring training. It didn’t take long for both of them to get hurt. Hicks didn’t make his season debut until mid-May because of a back injury and then in early September, he suffered an elbow injury which forced him to miss the rest of the regular season and the ALDS against the Twins.

He showed some real grit when he returned and helped the Yanks in the ALCS against the Astros but that likely ended up making the injury worse. After the season ended the team announced he would need Tommy John surgery which he underwent at the end of October.

Sevy didn’t make his debut until the middle of Septemeber due to rotator cuff inflammation in his right shoulder and a strained lat muscle. During the offseason, he started feeling discomfort in his forearm when he would throw his changeup and that continued when he reported to spring training. On February 27th he also underwent TJ surgery and will be out for at least the next 12 to 14 months.

Hicks will be back this season unlike Sevy, but his contract is worse for one main reason.

Fourth Worst: Severino

When the Yankees announced these extensions I don’t think anyone had any issue with the deal Sevy got. At the time it looked like it had the potential to be a huge steal because he was still only 25 years old and worth way more than just $10M a season.

Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case so far, as the first half of his contract has been nothing short of a disaster. Not all hope is lost however because Sevy should recover fully and at his age, he’ll have a chance to come back stronger than ever and regain his All-Star form for the final two years of his deal.

Third Worst: Hicks

Hicks’ contract looks much worse because of the length of the deal. Sure he’s worth a $10M salary when he’s healthy but giving him a seven-year extension seemed excessive given his injury history. Since 2017 Hicks has had at least one IL stint in every season and he’s averaged only 95 games played during that span.

Again, the money isn’t the issue here because Hicks is a terrific all-around player who can impact the game in so many ways. The problem is he hasn’t been able to stay on the field on a consistent basis and as he gets older it’s likely only going to get harder for him to do so.

JA Happ

J.A. Happ is not only the most overpaid pitcher on the Yankees roster but he’s also one of the most overpaid pitchers in all of baseball. Last season he made $17M and posted a 12-8 record with a 4.91 ERA and allowed a career-high 34 home runs. He finished the season strong in September and pitch well in the postseason, but overall it was a lousy campaign for the veteran left-hander.

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This season he’s set to make another $17M and if he makes 27 or more starts or throws at least 165 innings he can trigger a vesting option for the same amount again in 2021. After his performance last season the Yankees would likely prevent him from reaching those totals. Especially now that the season is delayed indefinitely and will likely be shortened whenever it begins.

Happ is a decent back end of the rotation option who’s getting paid like a top of the rotation caliber starter. He was great for New York after he was acquired in 2018 but to give him a big-money deal at his age was a big mistake and I’m sure it’s a decision the front office now regrets.

Happ’s contract won’t hurt the Yankees long term like the deals given to Sevy and Hicks might but it was a huge overpay for a pitcher who’s clearly well past his prime. That being said the Yankees will need him this season with Sevy out and Domingo German serving a suspension. He was having a terrific spring training before MLB suspended operations so hopefully, he can pick up where left off when play resumes and carry that success over into the regular season.

Giancarlo Stanton

Last but certainly not least is Giancarlo Stanton. Since coming to New York his contract has quickly risen up the ranks as one of the worst in franchise history. It’s not at A-Rod’s or Jacoby Ellsbury’s level yet, but it could end up haunting the team much more in the long run.

He’s got another eight years left on the 13-year, $325M contract he signed with the Marlins before he was traded to the Yanks back in December of 2018. The Yankees will pay him $234M over the final eight years of his deal, assuming he never invokes one of his seven opt-out clauses (he won’t).

After a solid but somewhat underwhelming first season with the Yanks Stanton barely played in 2019, only appearing in 18 games because of injuries. He came back for the postseason but he strained his squad in Game 1 of the ALCS and missed four of the next five games. This spring he entered camp healthy but it didn’t take long for him to suffer a calf strain doing outfield drills. If it wasn’t for the coronavirus delaying the season he would have started the season on the IL.

Stanton is in better shape than just about every player in baseball but he continues to suffer injuries doing the most basic things like running out a routine groundball or sliding into a base. It’s hard to comprehend and there’s not much reason for optimism that he’s going to be able to stay healthy over the course of the next eight years.

Next. Three changes MLB should make if the season is shortened. dark

Stanton still has plenty of time to turn things around and get back into the good graces of Yankees fans, although it’s going to be an uphill climb. Taking on his contract will probably never end up looking like a smart investment by the Yankees but if he can stay healthy and help them win a couple of championships all will be forgiven.

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