Kansas City Royals: Ten Worst Contracts in Team History

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May 25, 2015; Bronx, NY, USA; Kansas City Royals second baseman Omar Infante (14) reacts to lining out against the New York Yankees during the fourth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

Kansas City Royals second baseman Omar Infante (14) – Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /

Second Worst Contract Ever – Omar Infante (Royals second baseman from 2014-2016)

Ahhh, yes. One of the worst contracts is Kansas City Royals history automatically makes people think of Omar Infante, who is one of the more recent victims of “bad contract”-itis in Royals baseball. Maybe it’s just the recency of this particular contract or the fact that Infante’s release from the team inspired me to write this post back in 2016, but he sits at No. 2 on this list.

The team had lucked out with signing free agents over their good stretch of seasons, but were pretty far off on Infante. It’s hard to blame Dayton Moore for going after Infante though, as the Royals were coming off their first winning season in over a decade in 2013, and second base was a glaring weakness.

Infante had a great year for Detroit in 2013, and Moore was able to get him to Kansas City by offering him a fourth year, something the Yankees passed on. Infante was inked to a four-year contract worth over $30 million, keeping him with the Royals through at least the end of the 2017 season. Instead, Infante was on his way out not even midway through the 2016 season.

What kept Infante in Kansas City for longer than he deserved was that he played pretty great defense in 2014 and 2015. It appeared that Infante gelled well with the team when it came to amazing defensive plays, as was the theme for the team that year.

In 2016, however, Infante’s defense dropped off and with rookie Whit Merrifield shining at second base, the former almost All-Star was designated for assignment in mid June. He was slashing .239/.279/.321 in just 39 games and was taking up a valuable roster spot, mainly due to his contract.

Even though the Omar Infante era wasn’t a great one for the Kansas City Royals, the guy had a decent career. He played for four American League Champion teams (Detroit in 2006 and 2012 and Kansas City in 2014 and 2015) and has a World Series ring to show for his career.

Not too shabby for a guy batting .239 during his final season.

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