Rockies May Own Dubious Honor of Having Worst Contract in MLB on Their Payroll

The Colorado Rockies have a large chunk of their payroll dedicated to the worst contract in baseball.

Apr 8, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Rockies designated hitter Kris Bryant (23) on deck in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Coors Field. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

It has been a long time since anything has gone right for the Colorado Rockies.

Currently on pace to break the single-season record for losses, which was set last year by the Chicago White Sox with 121, the Rockies are going to miss the postseason for a seventh consecutive year.

Their roster management in recent years has not been good, contributing to the team’s lack of success on the field because they just don’t have much talent to rely on.

More News: Watch: Colorado Rockies Manager Explodes, Puts On Show After Ejection

One of the biggest messes the team is working through is the free agent signing of Kris Bryant, who owns possibly the worst contract in baseball.

Colorado signed the 2015 National League Rookie of the Year and 2016 NL MVP to a massive seven-year, $182 million contract ahead of the 2022 season.

They have received virtually zero return on that investment, with Bryant being hampered by a debilitating lumbar degenerative disc disease.

More News: Colorado Rockies' Latest Streak Provides More Proof of Franchise Futility

The midway point of that contract was reached last week and all the four-time All-Star has to show for it is 170 games played and 712 plate appearances.

Bryant has produced a -1.6 bWAR in that span with a .244/.324/.370 slash line and an 84 OPS+. He has hit only 17 home runs and 29 doubles with 61 RBI.

“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,” Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report wrote, naming Bryant as the most cringy contract in the MLB in 2025.

More News: Colorado Rockies Pass on Brendan Rodgers for All-Star Slugger in 2015 MLB Redraft

2022 was the only year that he made a positive impact for the team, producing a 0.7 bWAR in 42 games played.

In the three years since, his best bWAR is -0.5, which was done this year in only 11 games, which speaks volumes to how poorly he was performing on the field before getting sidelined again.

The signing of Bryant made little sense at the time, following the botched trade of Nolan Arenado and allowing Trevor Story to depart in free agency for nothing more than a compensatory pick.

More News: Rockies Player Superlatives From Historically Poor First Half of Season

This isn’t all the fault of the Rockies, as they cannot control a player getting hurt.

But, it was a decision that many people questioned a few years ago, and it is aging even worse than the least pessimistic of predictions that were made.

For more Rockies news, head over to Rockies On SI.