Worst contracts in the AL Central: Tigers have a couple pretty bad ones in 2024

There are plenty of bad contracts in baseball. Some are active players, others are deferred contracts from guys who have been long gone. For example, every July 1 baseball fans celebrate Bobby Bonilla Day, when Bonilla gets paid $1,193,248.20 (through 2035) by the New York Mets.

The Detroit Tigers aren't quite in that territory, but they have a few bad contracts of their own right now. Where do they rank among those in the American League Central?

Kenta Maeda (Detroit Tigers)

Full contract details: 2 years, $24 million

The Tigers already find themselves on this list with "starting" pitcher Kenta Maeda. Last offseason, the then 35-year-old starter signed a two-year $24 million deal with Detroit. Maeda would go on to have a complete downward spiral of a season, being assigned to the bullpen halfway through the year and ending with a 6.09 ERA.

Maeda became a low-leverage or mop-up reliever for the team, which couldn't have less value at $14 million for 2025. As it stands now, Maeda does not belong in a major league rotation. With the Tigers having one of the best bullpens in the MLB, it is hard to find a spot for him there either come 2025.

Carlos Correa (Minnesota Twins)

Full contract details: 6 years, $200 million

Oh, how so many Tigers fans wanted Carlos Correa instead of Javier Baez. Granted, though it doesn't get worse than Javy, Correa hasn't exactly lived up to the billing, either.

Correa got off to a cold start in April of this year and would struggle with injuries the rest of the season. He ended the season with a slash line of .230/.312/.399 with 18 home runs and 65 RBI. The power wasn't awful, but a subpar average and bloated salary makes this deal unfortunate for Twins fans.

Remember when both the Giants and Mets offered Correa a long-term deal for over $300 million but would ultimately rescind those offers after running through a physical? There might've been good reason for that.

Yoan Moncada (Chicago White Sox)

Full contract details: 5 years, $70 million

The once highly-touted prospect has turned into a full-blown bust. He has been consistently injured throughout his career, and it is hard to find a less-for-more contract in MLB.

Last season, Moncada had only 40 at-bats and has only played 100 or more games in just two of the past five seasons. This deal would have been a major bargain if Moncada had lived up to his potential when he was a top prospect for the Boston Red Sox. Throughout his career, Moncada has only posted an average higher than .265 once, and that came back in 2019. This is another player that would be cut loose if the contract terms weren't so high.

Andrew Benintendi (Chicago White Sox)

Full contract details: 5 years, $75 million

Back in his days with the Boston Red Sox, Benintendi was part of the modern-day Killer B's. Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts, and Benintendi. He would eventually go on to sign a five-year, $75 million deal with the Chicago White Sox. The contract itself may not be horrible comparatively, but makes this one really bad is that this is the most lucrative free-agent deal ever given by the White Sox organization.

Benintendi's consistent decline in power got much worse last year. The 2023 campaign marked a career-low .356 slugging percentage and just five home runs. Benintendi also lost nearly 50 points on his on-base percentage, going from .373 in 2022, to .326 in 2023. Knowing the White Sox, this will scare them away from big-name free agents for a while again.

Javier Baez (Detroit Tigers)

Full contract details: 6 years, $140 million

As a Tigers fan myself, this one makes me nauseous. From the very start, this deal was heavily questioned by MLB pundits and executives alike. Javier Baez is awful. It is simple. His stats are bad, and his advanced stats are bad. The eye test says he is bad. Fans say he is bad. His coaches don't exactly have his back as he has been benched multiple times.

He entered the season in a do-or-die situation with the organization, and when he went on the injured list, the Tigers replaced him seamlessly and became the best team in MLB from that point on. The chemistry, the productivity, and the attitude have been just terrible since he signed.

Many fans hoped Baez would opt out when he had the chance, but that dream obviously didn't come true. Scott Harris gave a vote of confidence to the shortstop despite fans' cries to ditch Baez. This contract isn't just the worst in the division — it's perhaps the worst in the league.