Rockies’ $182 million veteran named MLB’s most overpaid left fielder originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
To this point, it’s been a nightmare tenure with the Colorado Rockies for Kris Bryant.
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Bryant’s struggle to stay healthy and lack of production led Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller to dub the 2016 NL MVP the most overpaid left fielder in MLB.
“It’ll never be deemed as painful as the $245M deals given to Stephen Strasburg and Anthony Rendon, nor Miguel Cabrera’s $248M extension, simply because $182M is a much lower number,” Rymer wrote. “But Kris Bryant’s seven-year contract with Colorado has been an all-timer of a calamity.”
He signed a seven-year, $182 million contract before the 2022 season, but has only played 170 games in the last four seasons due to injuries. Chronic lumbar degenerative disc disease limited Bryant to just 11 games last year.
Bryant’s future with the Rockies
Even when Bryant is on the field, he’s performed like a shell of his former self. It cannot be easy to gain momentum at the plate when at-bats are few and far between.
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He has a .695 OPS and a -1.6 bWAR in 712 plate appearances with the Rockies, connecting for just 17 home runs in the hitter-friendly environment that is Coors Field.
The Rockies will surely monitor Bryant’s progress and health status if he doesn’t open the season on the injured list. Even if he does perform better, the contract may be unmovable.
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