5 Chicago Cubs current contracts that look like failures

2. OF Jason Heyward $22 million

Even though he is a Los Angeles Dodger now, right fielder Jason Heyward will earn $22 million from the Chicago Cubs in 2023. This will be the final leg of Heyward's eight-year contract that he signed way back in 2016 and it will give the Cubs a lot more financial flexibility with his inflated deal off the books. It's not like Cubs ownership has their hands completely tied in terms of money right now, but $22 million is a lot to shell out for a guy who's not even on your roster.

The real gut punch in all of this is the fact that Heyward, whose bat was notoriously bad when he was on the Cubs, is putting up similar, and in some cases, better numbers compared to Cubs outfielders Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki. It should be noted that Heyward's plate appearances are lower than the other two men on the chart below because he does not play every day but the numbers are still jarring.