Which MLB contracts are the most untradable? From Albert Pujols to Yasmany Tomas, here’s a look at 14 players who probably aren’t getting traded any time soon.
Generally speaking in MLB, large contracts aren’t traded on a consistent basis.
In most scenarios, teams obviously don’t want to take on large financial commitments for players.
However, as of late, a number of players with prominent contracts have switched clubs.
Among the traded players in the past year and change include Giancarlo Stanton, Matt Kemp, Scott Kazmir, Adrian Gonzalez, Justin Verlander, Clay Buchholz, David Robertson, Dee Gordon and Adrian Gonzalez.
Obviously not all of those deals involved teams picking up the entire contracts of incoming players, but the players were traded all the same.
While it’s possible to see more big contracts moved during the upcoming season, here’s a look, at MLB’s 14 most untradable contracts.
The list, which is all speculative mind you, excludes the recently traded contracts of stars like Verlander, Stanton and Evan Longoria, as well as the recently-signed deals for J.D. Martinez, Wade Davis, Yu Darvish, Eric Hosmer and other recent free agents. The list also includes some players who have missed significant time recently due to injuries such as David Wright, Francisco Cervelli, Homer Bailey and Wei-Yin Chen.
Additionally, some players obviously have no-trade protection through no-trade clauses, 10-and-5 rights and no-trade lists, but this list is based purely on tradability—or lack thereof—outside of that.
All salary information via Spotrac.
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Miguel Cabrera | Money Remaining on Contract: Potentially $224 million | 2017 fWAR: -0.2
Miggy looks like a prime bounce-back candidate after a down year in 2017 that was hampered somewhat by injuries.
Sure, some of his 2017 metrics (91 wRC+, .313 wOBA and a career-low .149 ISO) don’t come off as the best, but there’s reason for optimism considering he ranked seventh in the league in hard-hit percentage, still drew walks at a decent rate (10.2%) and was plagued by a markedly-low .292 BABIP.
Cabrera tends to operate with a high BABIP, as evidenced by his lifetime .344 number. His BABIP hasn’t dropped below .330 since 2008 in his first year in Detroit.
Additionally, the slugger is just one year removed from an eight-year stretch where his fWAR never dipped below 4.3.
Still, even if Cabrera is a 4-6 win player again, the 34-year-old’s contract makes him close to unmovable.
He’s making $30 million per year through 2021 and will take home $32 million in both 2022 and 2023. There are also a pair of mutual options for the 2024 and 2025 seasons. If exercised, his salaries those seasons would be $30 million each.
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Albert Pujols | Money Remaining on Contract: $114 million through 2021 | 2017 fWAR: -2.0.
While Cabrera was highly successful as recently as 2016, when he racked up a 4.8 fWAR, Pujols hasn’t turned in an fWAR higher than the 3.0 mark in the last five years.
His fWAR totals from 2013 to 2017 are as follows: 0.6, 2.8, 1.8, 0.8 and -2.0.
Pujols also hasn’t been much of an on-base threat since joining the Angels, never turning in an on-base percentage north of .330 and twice leading the league in double plays grounded into since 2012.
What’s more, he slumped to a .286 on-base percentage last season and didn’t exactly crush extra-base hits. Home runs, triples and doubles are obviously different, but the future Hall of Famer managed just 40 extra base hits (23 home runs and 17 doubles) in 636 plate appearances in 2017.
That spit out to a .145 ISO, which came in behind the likes of Jordy Mercer, Kevin Pillar and Yolmer Sanchez on the Major League leaderboard among qualified batters.
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Matt Kemp | Money Remaining on Contract: $43 million | 2017 fWAR: -0.5
The Los Angles Dodgers acquired Kemp in a swap of significant contracts this past offseason, shipping Adrian Gonzalez, Scott Kazmir, Brandon McCarthy and Charlie Culberson to Atlanta.
It remains to be seen if Kemp will stick in Los Angeles as he’s part of an immensely crowded left field picture that also includes Enrique Hernandez, Joc Pederson, Andrew Toles, Alex Verdugo and Trayce Thompson.
However, in the event that one of Hernandez, Pederson, Toles, Verdugo or Thompson—and not Kemp—win the starting gig in left field, the Dodgers could conceivably face a tough task in finding a taker.
Not only is the veteran expensive, making $21.5 million in each of the next two seasons, but he’s also coming off arguably his worst offensive season to date.
Among the 181 players with at least 450 plate appearances, Kemp finished 152nd in walk rate and 108th in wOBA. He also turned in a career-low 100 wRC+, as well as his lowest hard-hit rate since 2011.
What’s more, the 33-year-old struggled in the field.
Among the 10 left fielders with at least 850 defensive innings, Kemp’s -17 DRS stat was by the far the worst of the group.
Meanwhile, only Oakland’s Khris Davis was the only player to turn in worse UZR/150 and defensive runs above average metrics than the former Atlanta outfielder (-13.7 UZR/150 and a -13.3 Def).
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Chris Davis | Money Remaining on Contract: $85 million through 2022, plus deferrals| 2017 fWAR: 0.2
As evidenced by positions of the some of the first few names on this list, it probably shouldn’t be a surprise that Chris Davis also makes the cut.
Davis is still a walking .200 ISO threat, but strike outs are starting to take more and more of a toll on his offensive production.
The 31-year-old whiffed at a career-worst 37.2% rate last season, seeing his wOBA (.312) and wRC+ (92) plummet in the process.
What’s more, Baltimore may very well be stuck with paying Davis for the next few decades. That is, at least, according to a tweet from ESPN’s Buster Olney, who reported some of the terms of the deal in said tweet back in January of 2016.
Chris Davis contract structure: $17m annual salary 2016-2022. Annual payments $3.5m 2023-32, then $1.4m 2033-37. No interest on deferrals.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) January 16, 2016
Even without the deferrals, Davis would be difficult to move.
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Jordan Zimmermann | Money Remaining on Contract: $74 million through 2020 | 2017 fWAR: 1.1
We move from aging sluggers to starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann, who is one of the few veterans left standing on the Detroit Tigers.
Recent departures of Justin Verlander, Justin Upton, Ian Kinsler, J.D. Martinez, Justin Wilson, Alex Avila, Andrew Romine and Anibal Sanchez have shifted Detroit into rebuilding mode.
Zimmermann’s contract makes it difficult to envision him joining the list of departures from the Motor City.
The former Nationals pitcher is making $24 million this season before earning $25 million in each of the next two campaigns.
It also doesn’t help that Zimmermann has been limited to just 265.1 frames and a cumulative 2.4 fWAR since donning a Tigers uniform in 2016.
A clean bill of health and time spent working with Chris Bosio—who helped Jake Arrieta, Jason Hammel, Pedro Strop and others turn things around—could help the starter bounce back, but until then he’s one of baseball’s least tradeable contracts.
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Felix Hernandez | Money Remaining on Contract: $53 million through 2019 | 2017 fWAR: 0.4
Limited somewhat by injuries as of late, Hernandez hasn’t topped the 200 inning mark since firing off 201.2 frames for the M’s back in 2015.
Since then, he’s been limited to just 240 innings spread over 41 starts.
What’s more, he’s also seemingly been surpassed as Seattle’s ace by the quietly-excellent James Paxton.
With the Mariners in contention, they have no reason to move the longtime standout, who has been with Seattle since 2005.
Still, even if they did, it would be difficult to find a taker.
King Felix’s velocity has dipped to 91.1 and 91.2 in each of the last two seasons, and his swinging strike percentages (9.6% in both 2016 and 2017) finished below the 10.0% mark for the first time in consecutive years in his career.
Part of that may have obviously been due to injuries, but it certainly isn’t the best development for the former flamethrower.
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Shin-Soo Choo | Money Remaining on Contract: $62 million through 2020 | 2017 fWAR: 1.1
At his best with both Cleveland and Cincinnati, Shin-Soo Choo put up three different seasons with an fWAR of at least 5.0, turning in respective metrics of 5.0, 6.0 and 5.5 in 2009, 2010 and 2013 respectively.
It was on the heels of that final season with the Reds that Texas handed Choo a hefty seven-year, $130 million contract.
Never the most impactful fielder, the 35-year-old turned in a strong 2015 after initially struggling out of the gate with Texas in 2014.
During the 2015 campaign, the former Mariner, who like Hernandez debuted in the Majors with Seattle in 2005, notched a 3.6 fWAR.
He also registered a strong .375 on-base percentage to go along with a 128 wRC+, 22 home runs and a .365 wOBA in 653 plate appearances.
All that being said, Choo’s collective fWAR in his three other seasons in Texas (1.5) is less than half of his outlay in the category in 2015.
Those three years, which admittedly include an injury-shortened, 48-game stint in 2016, saw Choo sit slightly above average in both wOBA and wRC+. In two of those seasons, his ISO was slightly below league-average, according to FanGraphs.
Shin-Soo Choo in 2014: .321 wOBA, 101 wRC+, .132 ISO | 2014 league averages: .310 wOBA, 96 wRC+, .135 ISO.
Shin-Soo Choo in 2016: .334 wOBA, 105 wRC+, .157 ISO | 2016 league averages: .318 wOBA, 97 wRC+, .162 ISO.
Shin-Soo Choo in 2017: .339 wOBA, 107 wRC+, .162 ISO | 2017 league averages: .321 wOBA, 97 wRC+, .171 ISO.
While those numbers are certainly respectable and solid from Choo, when combined with some poor defensive metrics and the fact that he spent 65 games at designated hitter last season, it hardly adds up to a player worth at least $20 million a year for the next three seasons.
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Troy Tulowitzki | Money Remaining on Contract: $54 million through 2020 with a $15 million club option for 2021 that comes with a $4 million buyout | 2017 fWAR: 0.0
Previously a fixture in Colorado’s lineup, Troy Tulowitzki hasn’t been the five-win player he was with the Rockies while with the Blue Jays.
Despite a slight drop in offensive numbers across the board—he did leave Coors Field after all—Tulo has still been a quality contributor to the Jays.
He registered a 1.4 fWAR in 41 games (183 PA) down the stretch in 2015 after being acquired before registering a 2.9 fWAR in 2016.
Much of his value has been tied to his defense. Since the start of 2016, Tulowitzki has registered a +10 DRS, a 10.8 Def and a 5.4 UZR/150.
That’s good for 11th among qualified shortstops in that span, where the leaderboard is filled with elite fielders.
Tulowitzki’s defense helped offset his offense where fWAR was concerned in his first season-and-a-half north of the border. However, he couldn’t pull off a similar trick in 2017, with his overall fWAR spitting out at an even 0.0.
Despite the declining offensive stats, his wRC+ hasn’t eclipsed the 103 mark in three seasons, the veteran could conceivably be of interest given his blend of some pop and quality defense.
However, his deal is bordering on contractual albatross stats, so a trade might be difficult.
It also doesn’t help that very few teams, if any, actually need a shortstop.
All 10 playoff teams have long-term solutions at the position, as do potential 2018 Wild Card contenders like Seattle, San Francisco, Anaheim, St. Louis, Milwaukee and Texas.
At that point, any team that would need a shortstop would probably be more comfortable taking on the expiring contract of Jose Iglesias or Freddy Galvis in a trade than Tulowitzki’s deal—although that’s purely speculative.
The former Rockies shortstop will enter 2018 as part of a crowded middle-infield picture in Toronto, where the Blue Jays will utilize some combination of Devon Travis, Yangervis Solarte, Aledmys Diaz and Gift Ngoepe along with Tulowitzki up the middle.
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Victor Martinez. | Money Remaining on Contract: $18 million through 2018 | 2017 fWAR: -1.1
The good news is that Martinez is healthy this season after twice going on the disabled list for an irregular heartbeat. The designated hitter has already smacked three home runs in 25 Spring Training Plate appearances.
That being said, the 39-year-old is making $18 million in 2018, and there isn’t exactly an active market for DH-only sluggers—especially those coming off a down year.
If Martinez can bounce back from a not-so-great 2017 (85 wRC+, .303 wOBA and a .117 ISO in 435 plate appearances) he could conceivably become a trade chip.
However, even then, teams may not want to bring in a full-time designated hitter with such a shift away from using one player at that position.
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Kendrys Morales | Money Remaining on Contract: $23 million through 2019 | 2017 fWAR: -0.6
Similar to Martinez, Morales would be difficult to move considering he predominantly plays at designated hitter and has a hefty salary.
Since the start of the 2014 season, the veteran has played just 55 games at first base, including only 19 in the past two years.
At that rate, when a player doesn’t bring much in terms of potential defensive value, they need to tear the cover off the ball like Martinez did in 2014 to provide significant value.
Morales did that to a degree in 2015.
His overall stat line didn’t quite match up to Martinez’, but it still netted the former Angel a Silver Slugger and some MVP votes.
Victor Martinez in 2014: 4.3 fWAR, 641 PA, 168 wRC+, .411 wOBA, .974 OPS, 10.9% walk rate, .230 ISO and 32 HR.
Kendrys Morales in 2015: 2.0 fWAR, 639 PA, 131 wRC+, .364 wOBA, .874 OPS, 9.1% walk rate, .195 ISO and 22 HR.
If Morales can replicate numbers similar to those, it might be easier to move him. However, if he continues to hit on par with is 2016 and 2017 metrics, he’ll keep his place on this list due to the money remaining on his deal.
Kendrys Morales in 2016: 0.8 fWAR, 618 PA, 111 wRC+, .339 wOBA, .795 OPS, 7.8% walk rate, .204 ISO and 30 HR.
Kendrys Morales in 2017: -0.6f WAR, 608 PA, 97 wRC+, .320 wOBA, .753 OPS, 7.1% walk rate, .196 ISO and 28 HR.
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Alex Gordon | Money Remaining on Contract: $40 million through 2019, with a $23 million mutual option for 2020 that includes a $4 million buyout | 2017 fWAR: 0.0
For years, defense has been Alex Gordon’s calling card.
Gordon’s defensive impact, combined with a bat that was, for the most part, above average, helped the outfielder run off fWAR seasons of 6.6, 5.5, 3.7, 6.4 and 2.8 from 2011 to 2015.
While the longtime Royal was still very good defensively in 2017, with a +9 DRS, a 12.5 UZR/150, a 5.4 Def and a 3.5 ARM in 1,178.2 innings in left field last season, his offense took a bit of a dip.
Gordon slumped to a 62 wRC+ and a .269 wOBA. He also registered career lows in both ISO (.107) and on-base percentage (.293).
In fact, of all qualified batters, only Rougned Odor had a lower wRC+. In terms of wOBA, Gordon finished tied with teammate Alcides Escobar for the lowest number in the league.
If Gordon can start hitting again like he did earlier in the decade, he could conceivably become a valuable trade chip for the rebuilding Royals considering his standout defense.
Until then, however, he doesn’t seem like anything close to a candidate to be moved.
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Yasmany Tomas | Money Remaining on Contract: $13.5 million in 2018 plus a $15 million player option for 2019 and a $17 million player option for 2020 | 2017 fWAR: 0.1
The Yasmany Tomas experiment hasn’t exactly gone swimmingly in the desert.
Tomas’ power has been one of his calling cards, and it’s been on display somewhat in Arizona, including a 2016 campaign that saw him mash 31 home runs and register a .236 ISO in 563 plate appearances.
The 27-year-old also pitched in with a .223 ISO in 180 MLB plate appearances in 2017.
All that being said, there are some parts of Tomas’ game that might make him a difficult to market as a trade chip.
There’s still plenty of swing and miss at the plate, as the slugger went down on strikes 27.8% of the time in 2017. Since debuting with Arizona in 2015, Tomas has the 33rd-highest strikeout rate among the 252 players with at least 1,000 plate appearances.
He also hasn’t excelled at any one position defensively.
Yasmany Tomas at third base: 272 career innings, -5.5 Def, -6 DRS, -33.1 UZR/150
Yasmany Tomas in left field: 840 career innings, -14.2 Def, -16 DRS, -3.0 ARM, -18.7 UZR/150
Yasmany Tomas in right field: 1,160.2 career innings, -19.3 Def, -14 DRS, -6.5 ARM, -14.2 UZR/150
Perhaps a team with at-bats available at first base could be a fit, or an American League squad where he could DH could be a fit, but the reality is that if Tomas exercises both of his player options, he’ll be tough to move.
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Ian Kennedy | Money Remaining on Contract: $49 million through 2020 | 2017 fWAR: -0.2
Similar to Jordan Zimmermann, Kennedy is one of the handful of veterans left on Kansas City’s squad.
The Royals have added John Jay, Lucas Duda and retained both Alcides Escobar and Mike Moustakas,
However, dating back to last July, Travis Wood, Matt Strahm, Melky Cabrera, Mike Minor, Jason Vargas, Peter Moylan, Eric Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, Ryan Buchter, Brandon Moss, Scott Alexander and Joakim Soria have all departed.
That’s a significant amount of talent to replace, especially for a Kansas City franchise that isn’t very deep in the farm system.
With so little in the way of future talent, moving Kennedy for some kind of prospect return would probably be beneficial to the Royals’ rebuild.
However, if he continues to pitch like he did last season, Kansas City may be stuck with the starter for the rest of his contract.
Kennedy’s average fastball velocity was more or less par for the course compared to the last few seasons of his career.
The veteran’s average fastball velocity checked in at 92.4 MPH, just 0.4 off his average velocity from 2016. His fastball has sat in the 92-93 MPH zone very season since 2014.
However, an 8.9% swinging strike percentage may have hurt the starter, who saw his run prevention numbers spike across the board despite a drop in BABIP (.257) below his career average (.285) and his 2016 output (.268) in the category.
All told, Kennedy pitched to a 5.38 ERA, a 5.61 FIP, a 4.88 SIERA, a 1.32 WHIP and 7.66 strikeouts per nine frames in 154 innings. He also walked 3.56 batters per nine innings and surrendered a career-worst 1.99 home runs per nine frames.
The former Padre has turned in rebound seasons in the past with both Arizona and San Diego.
If he has another resurgence, Kansas City could conceivably try and market him as an innings eater for a contender, but unless that happens, he’ll be on the Royals’ books for the foreseeable future.
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Hanley Ramirez | Money Remaining on Contract: $22 or $44 million through 2018 or 2019 | 2017 fWAR: -0.4
He has a vesting option for 2019 that will vest if he accumulates 497 plate appearances in 2018. If Boston wants to limit his playing time and let him walk next winter as a free agent, that’s all and well.
However, a team that acquires him is probably looking to utilize his bat, which brings the vesting option into play again.
Best case scenario for the Red Sox’ financial situation if they want to trade Ramirez is to limit his plate appearances in the first half before flipping him to another team late in July or August when he’d be unable to reach the required number of plate appearances even if he’s playing regularly.
Even then, though, the Red Sox would be trying to find a taker for a player with a $22 million salary in 2018.
In the event hat Ramirez’ $22 million vesting option for 2019 does vest, he’d be significantly harder to trade considering he’s confined to first base and hasn’t exactly been a Gold Glove finalist at the position in his career (1,291.0 innings, -15 defensive runs above average, -6 DRS, -5.5 UZR/150).
