Rockies Veteran Considered To Have Worst MLB Contract Entering 2026 Campaign

The Colorado Rockies veteran holds the worst contract in the Major Leagues heading into 2026.

Jun 15, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a Colorado Rockies hat and glove on the bench against the Atlanta Braves in the ninth inning at Truist Park. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Colorado Rockies are not known for their jaw-dropping numbers in any regard, whether it's with contracts or results on the board. However, one contract decision in particular made by the franchise is still questionable several years later.

In 2022, Kris Bryant ended his time with the Chicago Cubs after playing with them for roughly seven consecutive years. That March, the four-time All-Star was shipped to the Colorado Rockies on a whopping seven-year, $182 million contract — a colossal deal for a Major League Baseball player who slowly started to lose his groove on the field.

Now, being multiple years into his contract with Colorado, his signing still stands as one of the worst in MLB history.

Bryant's Contract Dilemma

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report released his latest rankings of worst MLB contracts heading into the 2026 season, and unsurprisingly, the Colorado Rockies made that list not once, but twice. The two players to land spots were Antonio Senzatela (No. 10) and Kris Bryant (No. 1).

Of course, Bryant stands out at No. 1, as it's still unclear what came over the Rockies to offer him such a contract. In 2025, he slashed .154/.195/.205 with zero home runs and only one RBIs across 11 MLB games. Compared to what he slashed in 2021, .265/.353/.481 with 25 homers and 73 RBIs through 144 games, Bryant entered a downward spiral.

Considering his obvious drop, his signing back in 2022 was shocking, but not in a good way. Question marks surrounded the franchise, and confusion filled the air.

Although Bryant could certainly be traded, it would be a half-witted decision for any franchise to take on his contract. Not to mention, the 33-year-old spends most of his time on the injured list these days, to no fault of his own. This is out of his control, but that doesn't diminish any of the frustration.

At this point, it's unlikely that Bryant will make any forward progress in terms of performance, and his contract is essentially a dead end. As noted by Rymer, his bat speed decreased exponentially, and he didn't show any improvement over the course of 2025.

Rymer's statement is painfully true: his contract can't be saved. In order for this to happen, drastic changes would need to be made, and a situation where that happens isn't likely to be in Bryant's future. This leaves the Rockies in an unfortunate predicament.

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