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10 Worst MLB Contracts of the 2015 Season

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10 Worst MLB Contracts of the 2015 Season

Philadelphia Phillies v Oakland Athletics
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Many MLB teams get stuck into bad contracts with players who are now underachieving and not living up to the money they make. Of all the bad contracts on the books for 2015, these 10 are the worst.

10. OF Nick Swisher

Texas Rangers v Cleveland Indians
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10. OF Nick Swisher

Texas Rangers v Cleveland Indians
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Team: Cleveland Indians
2015 Base Salary: $ 15 million

There is so much more the Indians could do with $ 15 million than employ an aging, declining outfielder. Swisher is a good locker room guy, but he's probably not even worth a third of what he makes.

9. OF Shin-Soo Choo

Texas Rangers v Miami Marlins
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9. OF Shin-Soo Choo

Texas Rangers v Miami Marlins
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Team: Texas Rangers
2015 Base Salary: $ 14 million

Choo had the worst season of his career in 2014 and now the Rangers are stuck with him. His contract gets even worse over the next five years when he will make over $ 20 million annually. That's not good news for a Rangers team that is in the need of a facelift.

8. LHP C.C. Sabathia

New York Yankees v Milwaukee Brewers
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8. LHP C.C. Sabathia

New York Yankees v Milwaukee Brewers
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Team: New York Yankees
2015 Base Salary: $ 23 million

Sabathia hasn't been able to stay healthy lately, and even when he's pitched, he hasn't earned his $ 20-plus million contract. He appears to be on the tail end of his career, and the Yankees surely wish they were off the hook for his inflated salary.

7. 1B Mark Teixeira

Toronto Blue Jays v New York Yankees
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7. 1B Mark Teixeira

Toronto Blue Jays v New York Yankees
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Team: New York Yankees
2015 Base Salary: $ 23.125 million

Teixeira hasn't lived up to his contract in a long time, and like many Yankees players, he's severely overpaid. While he provides decent power from both sides of the plate, he's only really worth about half of what he's paid every year.

6. 1B Joey Votto

Joey Votto
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6. 1B Joey Votto

Joey Votto
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Team: Cincinnati Reds
2015 Base Salary: $ 14 million

Votto is one of the most overrated players in baseball. He hasn't consistently produced in several years, yet he's considered among MLB's elite. After 2015, his salary spikes to over $ 20 million a season, and the Reds are on the hook for several more years. If he can't stay healthy, Cincinnati will always regret signing him to a huge multi-year deal.

5. RHP Edwin Jackson

Edwin Jackson
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5. RHP Edwin Jackson

Edwin Jackson
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Team: Chicago Cubs
2015 Base Salary: $ 13 million

When the Cubs signed Edwin Jackson, he was supposed to be a very good No. 2 or 3 starter for them, but those plans fell apart quickly. He hasn't been good enough to be anywhere in the rotation, and now it looks like the Cubs are going to have to pay $ 13 million for Jackson to be a spot starter/long relief man.

4. OF Josh Hamilton

Texas Rangers v Baltimore Orioles - Game One
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4. OF Josh Hamilton

Texas Rangers v Baltimore Orioles - Game One
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Team: Texas Rangers
2015 Base Salary: $ 25.4 million

Hamilton's attitude and health have been huge concerns since he arrived in Los Angeles and the Angels gave him one of the worst contracts in baseball. He's already injured and out for the beginning of the 2015 season, which is something the Angels are used to now. The worst news of all? His annual salary jumps to $ 32.4 million in 2016.

3. 1B Ryan Howard

Atlanta Braves v Philadelphia Phillies
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3. 1B Ryan Howard

Atlanta Braves v Philadelphia Phillies
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Team: Philadelphia Phillies
2015 Base Salary: $ 25 million

Howard hasn't been the same ever since he tore his Achilles, and it doesn't look like he will ever return to form. Even though he hit for decent power last season, he's no longer worth anywhere near what he makes on an annual basis.

2. OF B.J. Upton

New York Mets v Atlanta Braves
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2. OF B.J. Upton

New York Mets v Atlanta Braves
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Team: Atlanta Braves
2015 Base Salary: $ 14.45 million

Upton has been a below-average outfielder over the past couple seasons for the Braves, and below-average players aren't supposed to make over $ 14 million. It says a lot that Atlanta tried to trade him while eating most of his contract and nobody bit.

1. 3B/DH Alex Rodriguez

Rome Braves v Charleston RiverDogs
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1. 3B/DH Alex Rodriguez

Rome Braves v Charleston RiverDogs
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Team: New York Yankees
2015 Base Salary: $ 22 million

A-Rod has been a distraction for the Yankees for a long time, and now his production won't justify the distraction. He's not getting any younger and he hasn't played in the majors in over a year. All of that adds up to the Yankees paying way too much for their former star slugger.

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