One thing has stayed constant since MLB introduced free agency in 1976. Certain teams will end up having buyer’s remorse over signing players to long-term contracts that don’t work out.

Fifty years later, it is bound to happen again. Some teams will wish they could get out of some long-term deals this winter by 2028. Here are some free agents who may not be worth the money.

1B/OF Jake Bauers

Projected contract: One year, $23.15 million (qualifying offer)

The Milwaukee Brewers' $23.15 million qualifying offer to their first baseman surprised many in baseball, and the expectation is that he will accept it. Bauers had the best season of his career this year, hitting a team-leading 26 home runs and earning National League Championship Series MVP honors as the Brewers won their first World Series title in franchise history. However, Bauers is 31and has never hit more than 12 home runs in any of his other six seasons in the Majors. While it's a great story, his 2026 season feels like an outlier from a journeyman player that will never be duplicated.

OF Randy Arozarena

Projected contract: Five years, $110 million

The outfielder certainly picked the right time to have the best season of his eight-year career, entering free agency after hitting .281/.381/.484 with an American League-leading 113 runs scored, 26 home runs and 26 stolen bases in 157 games for the Seattle Mariners. However, Arozarena also had minus-2 Defensive Runs Saved and will be 32 when next season begins. Arozarena will likely sign a five-year contract that won’t look so good by 2029 when he is in the decline phase of his career.

2B Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Projected contract: Six years, $130 million

Chisholm is one of those players whose sum always seems less than the total of his parts. He can hit home runs and steal bases, yet he has contributed less than 2 bWAR in three of the last four seasons. In 2026, Chisholm hit 19 homers and stole 41 bases for the New York Yankees but slashed .231/.312/.399 in 137 games and posted -6 Defensive Runs Saved at second base. Chisholm is just 28 and will get paid, but his pattern of disappointing production will leave some team with regrets.

LHP Adrian Morejon

Projected contract: Five years, $95 million

The left-hander has mostly gone unnoticed while spending his entire eight-year career with the San Diego Padres despite having a 2.58 ERA in 211 relief appearances over the last three seasons. Yet he is one of the hottest commodities on the open market, and many people inside the game believe he will command a five-year contract for as much as $100 million. That would be a lot of money to pay a reliever with eight career saves and a rate of just 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings.

2B Brandon Lowe

Projected contract: Three years, $60 million

The second baseman played a major role in the Pittsburgh Pirates' jump from last in MLB in runs scored in 2025 to sixth this past season, hitting 35 home runs and driving in 94 runs after being acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays last winter. Lowe’s DRS jumped dramatically, rising to 14 from minus-13 in one year. Lowe has positioned himself for a big payday, but there are red flags, the biggest being that he is 32 with a long injury history. Furthermore, that kind of drastic defensive improvement is hard to maintain, and Pittsburgh’s PNC Park is a perfect hitting environment for a left-handed pull hitter.