Cubs: Ranking the 7 worst contracts in the NL Central

Bad contracts are part of baseball. They're part of sports, for that matter. The Cubs have, more or less, avoided them of late (although not entirely). It also helps that Chicago has tended to avoid those decade-long albatross deals, in general, but that's a different story altogether.

Looking around the National League Central, there are definitely some deals that are dead weight, dragging teams down. Some are longer-term liabilities while other are expiring pacts that just haven't worked out, leaving teams paying down deals while guys finish out their respective contracts playing elsewhere.

So let's jump in and take a look at 7 bad contracts around the NL Central. And, yes, the Cubs will make a couple of appearances on this list.

Cubs: Ranking the 7 worst contracts in the NL Central - #7: Christian Yelich

A year or two ago, Christian Yelich would have likely challenged for the top spot on a list like this, but the former National League MVP has enjoyed a resurgent 2023 campaign at the plate and is closer to being the run-producing presence he once was for Milwaukee.

A 131 OPS+ to go along with 27 doubles and 23 stolen bases has the remaining six years and $136-156 million (depending on whether or not Milwaukee picks up the option year in 2029) looking like less of a disaster now. Of course, that assumes Yelich will continue doing what he's done this year and won't be the roughly league average bat he was from 2020 to 2022, but he's at least trending in the right direction.

The Brewers also have the benefit of pretty much zero other high-dollar contracts on the books long-term, so having one - even if it doesn't look like the match made in heaven it once did - shouldn't cripple them.

Cubs: Ranking the 7 worst contracts in the NL Central - #6: Seiya Suzuki

It pains me to do it, but Seiya Suzuki hasn't lived up to the five-year, $80 million deal the Cubs handed him prior to the 2022 season. He's certainly shown flashes of potential, but there's been little to no consistency - and David Ross even benched him earlier this month in an attempt to get him back on track.

Given the Cubs' crowded outfield picture, especially if they manage to re-sign Cody Bellinger this offseason, Suzuki's place in the larger picture looks tenuous, at best. Chicago extended Ian Happ this spring and it looks like revelation Mike Tauchman has played his way into the picture, as well. Then knowing three of the team's top 4 prospects (Pete Crow-Armstrong, Kevin Alcantara and Owen Caissie) are on the way just goes to show how deep the organization is in the outfield.

There's still time for Suzuki to turn things around, but so far, he's been a pretty so-so bat (at least in terms of results) and hasn't been the offensive leader the Cubs hoped for when they brought the longtime NPB standout into the fold. The one thing Chicago has going is that they're capable of fielding much larger payrolls than the rest of the division, making a deal like this easier to absorb.

Cubs: Ranking the 7 worst contracts in the NL Central - #5: Joey Votto

Joey Votto is a national treasure - and he also makes 10 times more than the next-highest paid guy on the Reds' active roster. That's problematic (although you could make the case Cincinnati ownership should pony up and start supplementing this young core with better talent), but he's been solid at the plate in what may prove to be his final year in the league.

Making $22.5 million in 2023, Votto's deal has a $20 million team option for next year with a $7 million buyout. Regardless of what he means to the city and fanbase, it's hard to envision the Reds picking up that option. Those dollars could be better spent adding impactful talent to the roster and building around guys like Matt McLain, Elly DeLaCruz and Spencer Steer.

Votto will get Cooperstown consideration, but at this point in his career, he's more than a decade removed from his peak years. The contract has paid for itself in the past, but that's no longer the case.

Cubs: Ranking the 7 worst contracts in the NL Central - #4: Jason Heyward

Not on the active roster, but still on the Cubs' books, Jason Heyward represents one of - if not the largest - swings and misses in franchise history. On the heels of a monster 2015 with the rival Cardinals, Heyward grabbed an eight-year, $184 million investment from the Cubs and it quickly paid off.

Well, sort of. The veteran brought unmatched defensive abilities and a strong clubhouse presence to the North Side - and his locker room speech during Game 7's rain delay in the 2016 World Series is enough to make most Cubs fans accept everything that followed.

Heyward never got back on track offensively and the Cubs cut ties with him at the end of an injury-filled 2022 season, choosing to eat the final year and $22 million left on his contract. He's found his footing with the Dodgers this year, but it's safe to say we're all ready to see that come off the books at season's end.

Cubs: Ranking the 7 worst contracts in the NL Central - #2: Adam Wainwright

Man, I bet Adam Wainwright wishes he would have just rode off into the sunset with Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina last fall. Instead, he decided to run it back one last time and get shellacked every five days as a member of the worst Cardinals team he's ever been a part of.

Just two wins shy of 200 for his career, the veteran right-hander has a 7.81 ERA on the year - and getting two more victories could actually prove difficult. He's made only 14 starts this season and, by all indications, Wainwright is just out of gas at this point.

Regardless, he's a Cardinals legend. A four-time Cy Young finalist, three-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger and a Gold Glover - not to mention a World Series champion - Wainwright's resume speaks for itself. But that's in the past and the $17.5 million he's getting paid this year looks is just John Mozeliak paying for what he's done in the past, not what he's capable of doing today, at nearly 42 years of age.

St. Louis and Pittsburgh seem destined to duke it out for the title of worst team in the NL Central and instead of one last glorious October run, Wainwright will putter through the rest of the summer and unceremoniously watch his 18-year career draw to a close.

Cubs: Ranking the 7 worst contracts in the NL Central - #1: Willson Contreras

It's a tough look that Cubs fans still love to see. Willson Contreras ran his mouth all spring long, preaching the Cardinals Way and dragging his former team's name through the mud.

But before we knew it, he was mired in major struggles and getting benched after reportedly calling pitches the guys on the mound didn't even throw. By mid-summer, the Cardinals (unsuccessfully) put him on the block and, to the surprise of no one, found no takers.

He's not even through the first year of the five-year, $87.5 million deal he signed with St. Louis last winter to succeed Molina as the Cardinals backstop and it's already looking like one of the worst contracts not only in the NL Central, but in franchise history. A positive spin on it? Another bullet dodged by Jed Hoyer and the Cubs.