5 Chicago Cubs current contracts that look like failures

The Chicago Cubs have a lot of money on the books going to guys who are under performing and one to a guy who's not even on the team anymore.

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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.