When signing any contract with a player in Major League Baseball, an organization is betting on the fact that the player will provide significant contributions to the team, whether it be for the short- or long-term. Sometimes, the deal works out beyond expectations, helping the team to much success.
Other times, the player doesn’t turn out to be as productive as expected, thus impacting the team in terms of overall performance. In some cases, the contract may be so big that it also hinders the club’s financial ability to make any moves to help improve the team.
The Philadelphia Phillies have given out some huge contracts in recent years to help build the team that they have today. However, some of those deals could start weighing down on the Phillies in the near future. As a result, let’s take a look at three contracts that the Phillies need to unload in any way they can to ensure sustainable success in the upcoming years.
Taijuan Walker
One of the contracts that automatically comes to mind right away is that of starting pitcher Taijuan Walker. It wasn’t too long ago when the Phillies inked Walker to a massive four-year, $72 million deal during the 2022-2023 offseason, hoping that he would become the solution to the back end of their rotation for years to come.
Walker did put together a respectable first season with his new club when he posted a team-high 15 wins in 2023. However, his less impressive 4.38 ERA and 1.31 WHIP, while displaying control issues from time to time, left a lot to be desired. That worry about his effectiveness became prominent enough that he didn’t end up getting a start during the Phillies’ 2023 postseason run.
But that was nothing compared to his disaster of a season in 2024. Walker compiled career-worst numbers across the board, registering a 7.10 ERA and 1.72 WHIP, while giving up 66 earned runs, including 24 home runs, with 37 walks and 58 strikeouts in 83 2/3 innings. Whether he pitched as a starter, or later in the bullpen, there appeared to be no improvement in sight.
Walker is hoping for a bounce back this upcoming season by working on his game during this offseason. But with the Phillies’ big acquisition of Jesús Luzardo, it all but eliminates any chance of Walker returning to the rotation for 2025. So to have $18 million for the next two seasons dedicated to a struggling pitcher who will only appear in relief just does not make any sense. There is no question that Walker’s contract should be one the Phillies dispose of as soon as possible.
Nick Castellanos
Putting star outfielder Nick Castellanos in this category may come as more of a surprise to some, since he has been one of the Phillies’ key offensive catalysts for the past three seasons. But when Philadelphia signed Castellanos during the spring of 2022, he was coming off an All-Star season with the Cincinnati Reds in which he batted .309 with a .939 OPS, 95 runs scored, 34 home runs and 100 RBI in 138 games played. As a result, the Phillies were expecting much more of the same once he joined the club.
However, Castellanos has averaged just 76 runs scored, 22 home runs and 81 RBI while hitting just .263 in his three-year tenure with the Phillies thus far. More significantly, the bulk of his production came during his 2023 All-Star season, in which he put up 29 home runs and 106 RBI in 157 games that year. In fact, if we took a closer look at his entire tenure with the Phillies to date, Castellanos actually had a disappointing first year. On top of that, his past year was headed toward the same trajectory until he miraculously turned his season around after a horrendous start.
In addition, Castellanos’ defense in the outfield has been his main Achilles heel for much of the past three years with the Phillies. Despite registering 21 outfield assists and just three errors during that time frame, his -28 defensive runs saved and -23 outs above average have left many runs on the board for the opposition while often putting his team in a bind. In effect, Castellanos is just like another Kyle Schwarber, but without his equivalency in power and elite ability to get on base. But with Schwarber already occupying the designated hitter’s spot because of his defensive limitations as well, Castellanos is forced to remain in the field despite his defensive deficiencies.
Turning 33 by the time the 2025 regular season rolls around, Castellanos isn’t getting any younger. Added to his slight regression in numbers both offensively and defensively this past year, his contract might not age well in his final two seasons with the Phillies.
There were rumblings that the Phillies had made Castellanos available in trade earlier this offseason (subscription required), as first reported by The Athletic’s Matt Gelb. However, while the Phillies would be better off unloading his $20 million per season salary, Gelb did note that the Phillies would likely need to digest a significant amount of his remaining $40 million salary to get a trade done.
Trea Turner
Finally, we have the biggest one of them all in star shortstop Trea Turner. When Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski emphasized the importance of needing star players to win championships in recent years, he led by example when he went out to get Turner during the 2022-2023 offseason.
Dombrowski was certainly successful in doing so, handing Turner a gigantic 11-year, $300 million contract to play in Philadelphia for more than a decade. The total salary amount was second on the team only to Bryce Harper, and the AAV of $27,272,727 was also second only to Zack Wheeler.
With a huge investment like that, the Phillies expected big things from the 29-year-old superstar at the time. After all, Turner was a two-time All-Star (now three-time), a Silver Slugger winner, along with finishing runner-up for the NL Rookie of the Year Award in 2016 and in the top 10 of NL MVP voting twice. More importantly, he could bring the invaluable experience from his successful World Series run with the Washington Nationals in 2019 to the Phillies to help them develop that winning mentality.
Turner has done his part so far, as his overall numbers with Philadelphia have been solid to date. In 276 games, he has amassed a .279 batting average and .791 OPS, with 190 runs scored, 60 doubles, 47 home runs, 138 RBI and 49 stolen bases over his two seasons with the club.
However, there are two main concerns with his massive contract. For one, it is just way, way too long, as it lasts all the way to his age 40 season. With the aggressive style of game that Turner plays, it will surely not age well towards the latter part of the deal. Added to the fact that it also includes a full no-trade clause and no opt-outs means the Phillies have little control of getting out of it if things don’t end up working well.
Another concern is the fact that Turner has been streaky in each of his first two seasons with the Phillies. In his first year, he had an underwhelming first half before turning it on during the latter half of the season. In 2024, the opposite occurred as Turner started off strong, but ended up struggling offensively down the stretch.
As one of the highest-paid players on the team, it would be much more reassuring if his production could be more consistent in contributing to the team’s success. Otherwise, such inconsistencies could ultimately limit the explosiveness of the Phillies lineup, seeing that he hits in the prime top third of the batting order.
Turner has the possibility of becoming an albatross both in the lineup and for his contract in the long run. So being able to unload his salary sooner rather than later could do wonders for the Phillies in potentially freeing enough resources to make some game-changing moves for the future.
