The 5 worst current MLB contracts we're thankful the Mets avoided adding to the payroll

You miss one-hundred percent of the shots you don’t take. Sometimes it’s good to miss. The ever-active New York Mets have been in on practically everyone in the past few offseasons. They hit on some. They’ve missed on others.

In these five instances, the Mets were fortunate they didn’t get ink on paper.

1) Javier Baez

Of all the weird things that have happened with the Mets in the Steve Cohen era, the best might’ve been the summer’s thumbs down fiasco. Led by Francisco Lindor and Javier Baez, it definitely seemed to have some basis as to why the Mets didn’t invite Baez back for another year. They had no way of moving on from Lindor. They showed restraint in not re-signing Baez who had a pretty terrific stint in Flushing. Despite the controversy, they were in on him in the offseason.

Baez batted .299/.371/.515 in 47 games for the Mets. Those are the kind of numbers he could only dream about posting today. Once a prolific slugger and fielder for the Chicago Cubs, Baez’s weaknesses have come out in full force ever since he left the Mets.

Baez ended up with a six-year $140 million deal from the Detroit Tigers. He’s still a good defensive player, but his seasons in Detroit have been a prolonged slump.

In year one, Baez hit .238/.278/.393 with 17 home runs. He followed it up with a .222/.267/.325 performance. In those 136 games for the 2023 Tigers he hit as many home runs as he hit with the Mets, 9.

The story hasn’t changed early on in 2024. Although the reputation is he strikes out a ton, his percentage has gone down from early seasons with the Chicago Cubs. The bigger problem seems to be not hitting the ball nearly as hard. He has been under 40% in each season in Detroit. Add in some of those classic swings and misses on pitches nowhere near the strike zone plus virtually no ability to draw a walk and we have a very beatable hitter we’re glad didn’t return to the Mets.

2) Kris Bryant

Kris Bryant seemed perfect for the Mets, didn’t he? As either a third baseman or outfielder, many of us wanted him. What is it with those 2016 World Series Champion Cubs players? Maybe 2016 is just further behind than we like to admit.

Bryant ended up with an even bigger contract than Baez. He signed for seven years and $182 million to join the Colorado Rockies. The deal happened the same winter as Baez with the Mets, instead, choosing to go the shorter term route with players like Eduardo Escobar and Mark Canha to fill needs Bryant could have.

Bryant hasn’t been particularly good for Colorado. His bigger issue has been health. He played in only 42 games in 2022. In 2023, he did appear in 80 but with only a .233/.313/.367 slash line and 10 home runs.

The 2016 MVP has also become more of a DH than a player who actually brings any value on defense. We can debate which deal would’ve been worse for the Mets. At least Baez is healthy and can field. Bryant isn’t doing much of anything even with 81 games on the schedule in a hitter’s paradise.

4) Jameson Taillon

Jameson Taillon is earning much less than some others on this list. However, he was very much a Mets free agent target prior to the 2023 season. Coming off of a respectable season with the New York Yankees, he secured himself a four-year contract worth $68 million from the Chicago Cubs.

The best ability of anyone in any industry is availability. Taillon is already on the IL. After his first year with the Cubs, fans aren’t too eager for him to return.

Taillon did manage to make 29 starts and a relief appearance in 2023. The results weren’t great. At 8-10 with a 4.84 ERA in 154.1 innings of work, he was very much a below-average innings eater.

The Mets actually look like they came away from the 2022-2023 offseason pretty clean. The Kodai Senga signing, despite his own injury, looks like a bargain. Jose Quintana has been good when healthy and even if he struggles the deal is less expensive than Taillon’s by a wide margin and over after the 2024 season.

Throughout his career, Taillon has been maybe slightly above average at best. One of those Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers the Yankees hoped could follow in the footsteps of Gerrit Cole, Joe Musgrove, and others by leaving the team and becoming a star, it looks like the Cubs are the ones who might get the least from him.

5) Lucas Giolito

Everybody and their mothers wanted the Mets to sign Lucas Giolito this past offseason. He made total sense. A short-term prove it deal for the 29-year-old righty with some good seasons in the past fit right into the mold of what David Stearns was trying to accomplish. He ended up with the Boston Red Sox on what has become a disastrous waste of money.

Giolito will get paid $18 million this year to recover from Tommy John Surgery. He didn’t throw a single pitch in the regular season nor will he. Next year, he has a player option. Undoubtedly something he’ll take advantage of, the Red Sox owe him another $19 million guaranteed. There is a $14 million team option for 2026 which could turn out to benefit the Red Sox. Financially, it’s a disaster with all of the money they’ll pay him first.

There’s no telling whether or not Giolito would have ended up with a major injury if he signed with the Mets instead. In fact, we can’t assume Baez would be so terrible, Bryant would fall off a Rocky Mountain, etc. if they were members of the Amazins. Nevertheless, we can rejoice with some solace knowing it’s somebody else’s problem to deal with.