Big free-agent deals are typically made with the present in mind -- instant impact is the expectation. When the early returns are underwhelming, the pressure mounts.
But first-year struggles don't have to define the entire deal.
The nine players below posted disappointing first seasons after signing multiyear contracts during the 2024-25 free-agent cycle, but there's still time for them to change the narrative. They'll look to do just that in 2026.
Jack Flaherty, SP, Tigers
Flaherty turned in a stellar rebound season (3.17 ERA, 5.11 K/BB) while pitching for the Tigers and Dodgers in 2024, but his market in free agency wasn’t as strong as anticipated, perhaps due to lingering questions about his durability and his subpar performance across ’20-23. The right-hander ended up returning to Detroit on a two-year deal with an opt-out after 2025. After taking a step back this past season (4.64 ERA, 3.19 K/BB), Flaherty chose to remain with the Tigers, exercising his $20 million player option for 2026. Whether Tarik Skubal is traded or not, Detroit is going to need Flaherty to play a key role as one of its top starters.
Jeff Hoffman, RP, Blue Jays
With the way his year ended, Hoffman’s road to redemption may be tougher than anyone else’s on this list. After putting together an uneven regular season as Toronto’s closer, Hoffman was dominant throughout October and needed two more outs to close out Game 7 of the World Series and nail down the franchise’s first championship since 1993. One pitch erased it all, however, as he served up a game-tying homer to the Dodgers’ Miguel Rojas. The Blue Jays appear to be sticking with him for now, but the memory of what happened in Game 7 won’t fade quickly.
Sean Manaea, SP, Mets
Manaea initially signed with the Mets in January 2024, inking a two-year, $28 million deal that gave him the ability to opt out at the end of the season. On the heels of a career year, he opted out to become a free agent again before returning to the Mets on a much larger pact (three years, $75 million). To say the least, the lefty’s second year with New York did not go nearly as well as the first, as he missed time due to injuries and recorded a 5.64 ERA over 60 2/3 innings after returning from the IL. His struggles were part of a broader rotation collapse that derailed the team's playoff hopes in the second half. The Mets have plenty of options to fill out their starting staff in 2026 and may further add to that group before the offseason is over, but Manaea's contract alone gives him a strong chance to earn a spot as he eyes a bounceback campaign.
Tyler O'Neill, OF, Orioles
O’Neill’s 2025 campaign was the latest chapter in a career marked by injuries and inconsistency. Fresh off a strong season with the Red Sox in 2024 (31 HR, 135 OPS+), O’Neill signed a three-year, $49.5 million deal with the Orioles last offseason, with Baltimore needing a replacement for free agent Anthony Santander (more on him below). However, O’Neill made three trips to the injured list and slashed .199/.292/.392 with nine homers and a 92 OPS+ over 54 games for Baltimore in 2025, contributing to the club’s disappointing year.
Joc Pederson, DH, Rangers
Rangers designated hitters had MLB’s worst OPS (.584) in 2024, so the club signed Pederson to a two-year, $37 million deal to fill the hole. The result? Another last-place ranking in 2025 (.594). Pederson himself had just a .614 OPS over 96 games -- including a franchise-record 0-for-41 slump -- down from his superb .850 OPS with the Giants and D-backs from 2022-24. After exercising his $18.5 million player option for 2026, the 33-year-old should get ample opportunity to rebound next season.
Anthony Santander, OF, Blue Jays
Santander parlayed a big platform year with the Orioles in 2024 (44 HR, 131 OPS+) into a five-year, $92.5 million deal with the Blue Jays last offseason, but nothing went right for the slugger in the first year of his new contract. Santander started slow, then suffered a left shoulder injury that put him on the shelf until late September, finishing the regular season with six homers and a .565 OPS over 54 games. He didn’t get through the playoffs unscathed, either, going down with a back injury during the ALCS. Toronto was able to win the AL East and make a run to the World Series without Santander in 2025, but it will be counting on him to bounce back in '26.
Tanner Scott, RP, Dodgers
The fact that the Dodgers felt compelled to spend $69 million on closer Edwin Díaz just one year after paying Tanner Scott $72 million to fill that role says plenty about how Scott’s first season with the club unfolded; the lefty allowed 11 homers, blew 10 saves and posted a 4.74 ERA over 61 games. Still, with three years remaining on his deal, Scott has time to redefine his Dodgers tenure. If he can return to his 2024 All-Star form, it could give the team one of the best late-inning duos in the game.
Luis Severino, SP, Athletics
The first year of Severino’s three-year, $67 million deal with the Athletics -- the richest contract in franchise history at the time, since surpassed by Tyler Soderstrom’s $86 million extension -- was a letdown. Signed to front the rotation, the right-hander drew more attention for his criticism of the club’s temporary home park in Sacramento and the trade rumors that followed than for his work on the mound, where he posted a 4.54 ERA over 29 starts. The A’s have an impressive collection of young hitters, but they’ll need more from their starting staff to become a postseason contender in 2026, and it starts with Severino.
Christian Walker, 1B, Astros
After cutting ties with José Abreu midway through his three-year, $58.5 million deal, the Astros went back to the free-agent market last offseason to address first base, signing Walker to a three-year, $60 million contract. Though his struggles this past season weren’t as severe as Abreu’s in 2023-24, Walker regressed on both sides of the ball in his first year with Houston, recording a 97 OPS+ with 1.1 WAR (per FanGraphs). That said, he did go deep 17 times in his final 70 games, giving the Astros reason to hope that he can recapture the form that made him one of MLB’s top first basemen with the D-backs from 2022-24.