5 Chicago Cubs current contracts that look like failures

2023 has been a roller coaster year for the Chicago Cubs. At times they've looked like the best team in the division. At other times they have struggled to even get to the .500 mark. The front office has been trying though with plenty of contracts getting handed out in the past couple of offseasons, including the second largest in team history to Dansby Swanson ($177 million).

However, some of these contracts are starting to look pretty bad when you compare the value to the results each respective player is putting up. If the Cubs want to get going and start putting up a convincing fight in the division, these guys are going to have to start earning their paychecks. Here are the five worst contracts the Cubs have on the books right now in no particular order.

1. RF Seiya Suzuki $17 million in 2023

Prior to the 2022 season, the Chicago Cubs brought outfielder Seiya Suzuki over from Nippon Professional League in Japan. The Cubs gave Suzuki a five-year deal worth $85 million with an average annual salary of $17 million, which is exactly how much he will make in 2023. But Suzuki has not quite earned that big paycheck so far. While the 28-year-old can play good defense in right field, his bat is much to be desired.

In 298 plate appearances this year, Suzuki is slashing .259/.342/.405 with a wRC+ of 105. Those numbers are slightly above league average, but the power department is where Suzuki really needs to step it up. He has hit just 7 home runs this season with 13 doubles. According to his baseball savant page, Suzuki is hitting the ball hard when he makes contact and he isn't chasing a lot of pitches outside of the strike zone. The problem is he isn't getting the barrel to the ball enough of the time.

I'm not saying we need to cast Seiya Suzuki aside, but it is concerning that he is one of the team's highest-paid position players and his bat is not getting the results the team needs. During his time with the Hiroshima Carp, Suzuki hit 25+ home runs in six different seasons. There is an obvious lack of power on the Cubs right now and they need Suzuki to start driving the ball out of the park to help bring consistency to the offense.

3. 1B/ DH Trey Mancini

I wanted Trey Mancini to succeed with this team because it seemed like he would be a great veteran presence to help train Matt Mervis at first base. But dear lord have things not turned out like that. Mervis's first MLB stint was an offensive nightmare as the rookie hit just .167 with 3 home runs and 32 strikeouts in his first 99 plate appearances. The margin for error is expected for Mervis since that was his first exposure to the big leagues, but Mancini has been nothing short of horrible at the plate.

It is not an understatement when I say Trey Mancini is having the worst offensive year of his career. He is on pace to hit right around 10 home runs on the year, drive in 55, and hit 20 doubles, all of which would be career lows. His wRC+ is 22 points below league average, he is striking out almost a third of the time he goes up to the plate and his WAR sits at an abysmal -0.7. Mancini is literally playing worse than a replacement-level player and the Cubs gave him a two-year contract this offseason.

Well technically it was a one-year deal worth $7 million and the second year is a player option. But if Mancini continues to play this bad, he would be a fool not to take that player option (which is also worth $7 million) because no front office in their right mind would pay him that if these poor numbers continue. This essentially makes the Cubs on the hook to pay Mancini $7 million next season and he certainly can't be thought of as the starting first baseman moving forward. Since the Anthony Rizzo trade, the Cubs' situation at first base has been nothing short of a disaster and we need answers fast.

4. Tucker Barnhart

Tucker Barnhart's contract is structured almost exactly the same way as Trey Mancini's except it is worth less money at $3.5 million per year. It's no secret that Barnhart has always been a below-average hitter. The Cubs brought him to Chicago to be a backup catcher and that's what he's been serviceable at in 2023. However, the re-emergence of top prospect Miguel Amaya complicates things. Now that Amaya looks ready to at the very least be the backup catcher for Yan Gomes, Barnhart no longer looks needed on this team unless someone gets hurt.

While the catching depth isn't bad to have, right now we're stuck in this limbo period where Amaya is losing at-bats and on-field experience that he desperately needs after losing significant playing time to injury in the past few years. Yes, the Barnhart contract is cheap, but the second year of it may end up being more money the Cubs just have to eat.

5. RHP Jameson Taillon

So there finally looks like there could be hope with Jameson Taillon since he tossed eight 1 hit innings in his last outing against the Yankees in the Bronx. But up until that start, Taillon has struggled mightily in the first few months of his four-year contract with the Cubs. A deal worth $68 million total, $14 million of which he will earn in 2023.

In 15 starts so far, Taillon owns a 6.15 ERA over 71.2 innings pitched. The Cubs have won just 3 of the 15 games he started and they need him to get going soon. His contact cannot be judged a failure yet because a lot of pitchers struggle in their first season with a new team. A notable example for the Cubs is Jon Lester during the 2015 season, who had a roller-coaster first year of his five-year contract. Hopefully, Taillon can build on his successful return to the Bronx and string together some good outings down the stretch. The starting rotation has been fantastic so far despite Taillon's inconsistency, so his return to form would make the rotation that much more formidable.

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