Former Cubs Superstar Now Has Worst Contract in Major Leagues

With the No. 2 overall pick in the 2013 MLB Draft, the Chicago Cubs selected Kris Bryant out of the University of San Diego.

The franchise was hopeful that he would become a pillar to build around, providing the team with a foundational piece that can help elevate their performance on the field.

Ranked by some outlets as the No. 1 prospect in the sport ahead of the 2015 season, he did not disappoint.

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Bryant made an immediate impact that year, winning the National League Rookie of the Year Award with a .275/.369/.488 slash line. He hit 26 home runs with 31 doubles, five triples, 13 stolen bases and 99 RBI.

In addition to his Rookie of the Year win, he finished 11th in the NL MVP race and was named an All-Star.

For an encore, Bryant took his game to another level.

An impressive bWAR of 5.4 was recorded as a rookie. In Year 2, he upped that number to 7.3, which led the NL en route to taking home the MVP Award.

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Bryant finished the year with a .292/.385/.554 slash line and OPS+ of 146. He hit 39 home runs, 35 doubles and three triples with 102 RBI and was an All-Star for the second time.

The cherry on top for him and the Cubs was winning the World Series for the first time since 1908.

There were more productive seasons ahead of him, but 2016 was the peak of his career, with single-season best marks in bWAR, runs scored, hits, home runs, RBI and OPS+.

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His tenure with Chicago would come to an end when the Cubs traded him to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for Alexander Canario and Caleb Kilian ahead of the 2021 MLB trade deadline.

Bryant performed well with the Giants, helping them into the postseason, where he also produced at a high level over five games with a .471/.500/.647 slash line in 18 plate appearances.

That helped Bryant land a seven-year, $182 million deal from the Colorado Rockies in free agency, which has turned into arguably the worst contract in baseball.

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“It's a shame that lumbar degenerative disc disease has reduced the 2015 NL Rookie of the Year and 2016 NL MVP to less than a shell of what he once was. However, at this point, Bryant's presence on the payroll (and constant absence from the lineup) is little more than an expensive reminder of the Rockies' ongoing failures as a franchise,” wrote Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report, who placed the former MVP as the most cringy contract in the MLB in 2025.

Injuries are brutal and Bryant is dealing with a devestating one that has sapped him of the ability to produce on the field.

In 170 games and 712 plate appearances with the Rockies, he has a -1.6 bWAR and 84 OPS+, a far cry from the incredible production he provided Chicago earlier in his career.

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