After cashing in as free agents, these players have not lived up to the hype

Every offseason there are your cautionary tales of overpaying for players during free agency and the 2023 class has a few that stand out with their first season as members of their new teams winding down. 

Teams will hope that it is just a down year and that their investment in these players won't be a mistake in the years to come.

Here are four players who will need bounce-back seasons in 2024.

Xander Bogaerts, shortstop, San Diego Padres: 11-year, $280M

After 10 years with the Boston Red Sox including two World Series trophies and five American League Silver Sluggers at shortstop, Bogaerts left for the National League. 

Signing a massive deal with the Padres that will keep him there until he is 40 years old, he is experiencing his worst season in the MLB since 2017. His .260 batting average is the worst since his first full season in 2014. 

His 35 XBH and 45 RBI are also on pace for some of the lowest totals in his career. 

Making $25M a season for the next ten years, his contract is already beginning to look like a nightmare for a franchise that has multiple mega deals on it already and another potentially on the way with outfielder Juan Soto.

Carlos Correa, shortstop, Minnesota Twins: six-year, $200M

In one of the most bizarre offseason storylines in recent history, Correa wound up returning to the Twins after agreeing to two separate failed deals with the San Francisco Giants and the New York Mets over injury concerns.

After his production dip in 2023, the Twins should be wondering if those other two teams were on to something.

His .225/.308/.400 slash line is the lowest of his career and he is on pace for the most strikeouts in a season. With 16 home runs and 57 RBI, more is to be expected of a player making $30M-plus over the next five years.  

Carlos Rodon, pitcher, New York Yankees: six-year, $162M

One of the best pitchers in baseball over the last two years going 27-13 with a 2.67 ERA for the Chicago White Sox and the San Francisco Giants. Rodon was signed to bolster the Yankees pitching staff and to provide pitcher Gerrit Cole with some help.

But instead, Rodon spent the majority of the season on the injured list with a back issue. 

Since making his debut on July 7 Rodon has been dreadful, in his eight starts the 30-year-old is 1-4 with a 5.97 ERA allowing ten home runs in only 37.2 innings pitched after allowing 12 in 178 innings last year.

Due to make $27M a year from 2024-28, the Yankees will hope that he can have a healthy off-season and rebound next year.

Jameson Taillon, pitcher, Chicago Cubs: four-year, $68M

After an up-and-down career with both the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees, Taillon signed with the Chicago Cubs as part of their offseason spending and one that felt like an overpay from day one. 

On a Cubs team that's made a major improvement in 2023, he has not been a part of that success.

With a 7-8 record, Taillon has struggled to get hitters out for the Cubs. Allowing opposing batters to hit .270 against him it has resulted in a 5.60 ERA, which would be the second-worst in the MLB but he is 15 innings short of qualifying.

With $18M due to him in each of the next three seasons, the Cubs might have to chalk this one up as a loss after an otherwise solid offseason.