Jorge Soler.
I can well remember his signing by Theo Epstein in June 2012, Theo’s first big international signing. The deal was unprecedented for the Cubs at the time: An untested amateur, from Cuba, signed to a nine-year, $30 million contract.
If Soler had remained healthy and productive, that would have been a bargain, and incidentally, it expired after the 2020 season. There were some opt-outs, but Soler, being oft-injured, didn’t take them. Instead, he signed a $8.05 million deal to remain with the Royals, where the Cubs had traded him after 2016 for Wade Davis.
You know, at the time that wasn’t a bad deal.