With their last seven big free agent signings, how have the Phillies fared?
The Philadelphia Phillies are prepared to make a major splash in free agency to restructure their roster for the 2024 MLB season, and there are a lot of well-known players currently available who may be in their sights.
Shohei Ohtani, a two-way sensation from Japan, is one of these players. He continues to be the most valuable player available in the free agent market this year because of his ability to contribute to a ballclub both as a pitcher and hitter.
Josh Hader, the best closer in baseball, and former MVP outfielder Cody Bellinger trail him by a small margin. Although signing any of these prominent free agents could undoubtedly change the course of the franchise, it also has the potential to backfire if they prove to be a complete failure.
Nevertheless, over the past few years, the Phillies have gained a reputation for uncorrupting the bank to make significant free agent acquisitions. In keeping with Dave Dombrowski’s belief that championships are won by teams with elite players, the Phillies have put together a talented group of players that comprise their current roster of perennial contenders.
With these big free agent additions, how has the team fared? Including one that was signed recently, let’s examine the last seven true superstars that the Phillies have signed to large contracts in recent years and rank them according to their overall contribution to the team’s success to date.
No. 7: Trea Turner
The Phillies signed Trea Turner as a free agent last year, which was their biggest signing prior to Aaron Nola. Turner signed a massive $300 million, 11-year contract that included a complete no-trade clause. He has already demonstrated his ability to succeed in the past by leading the Washington Nationals to their historic first World Series victory in 2019.
For the next ten years, the Phillies looked to Turner to be a game-changing player at the top of their batting order because of his exceptional combination of speed and power.
Nevertheless, Turner went through one of the worst slumps of his career, struggling to find much success for nearly the whole 2023 MLB season in the first half. Due to his lackluster performance up to that point, the hometown supporters even went so far as to boo him. Thankfully, Turner was able to significantly improve the situation in the second half. Specifically, in the last two months of the season, he emerged as the team’s mainstay, contributing 44 runs to the total, 16 home runs, 42 RBI, and nine stolen bases.
He carried that momentum into the postseason, driving the Phillies to victory in the Divisional and Wild Card Series before ultimately losing in the NLCS. In 2023, the fans of the Phillies saw two sides of Turner: the terrible one in the first half of the season and the All-Star one in the second half.
It’s hard to tell which Turner we’ll see in 2024 at this point, but considering his nine seasons in the Major League Baseball, and his prior success, it seems likely that the dominant Turner will return the following year.
We can only wait and see how he performs in the upcoming years, but for the time being, he deserves the lowest ranking among the seven players on this list because of the lingering hint of uncertainty and the size of his enormous contract.
No. 6: Kyle Schwarber
Kyle Schwarber was coming off of his best hitting season, splitting time between the Boston Red Sox and Washington Nationals with a.266 batting average and a.928 OPS, when he was signed by the Phillies in the 2021–22 offseason. With the correct approach at the plate, Schwarber looked to be hitting his prime at the young age of 28, making him a hot commodity.
After winning the sweepstakes, the Phillies signed him to a fair four-year, $79 million contract.
Nevertheless, he has evolved into an Adam Dunn “three true outcomes” type of hitter in his two seasons with the Phillies, as nearly half of his at-bats have resulted in a walk, strikeout, or home run. As such, every time Schwarber takes the field, one anticipates a Jekyll and Hyde moment. He either blows it out of the park with a grand slam or he severely disappoints by putting an end to multiple rallies with a careless whiff.
Schwarber still managed to set his seasonal career highs in runs scored with 108, home runs with 47, RBI with 104, and walks with 126 in 2023 with the Phillies. But at the same time, he also posted career lows with a .197 batting average and a whopping 215 strikeouts. Moreover, his atrocious defense has forced the Phillies to move him into a more permanent designated hitter role going forward to minimize inflicting self-damage on the field.
Schwarber would have received a higher ranking if he had been a more dependable and consistent hitter while playing for the Phillies. However, his overall impact on the ballclub has been limited to isolated bursts of brilliance due to his unpredictable nature both on the field and at the plate.
Nick Castellanos, No. 5
A few weeks before Opening Day in 2022, Nick Castellanos signed a five-year, $100 million contract with the Phillies during the 2021–2022 offseason.
After a stellar 2021 season in which he hit.309 with a.939 OPS, 34 home runs, and 100 RBI with the Cincinnati Reds, Castellanos was heading into 2022. By doing this, he not only won a Silver Slugger for his outstanding offensive play but also made his debut as an All-Star.
The Phillies were loaded with two power hitters who could easily put up over 60 home runs and 200 RBI combined per season, and Castellanos helped reshape the outfield with Schwarber. Like Schwarber, though, Castellanos’ primary weakness is his tendency to strike out in addition to his dubious defense.
He has recorded 315 strikeouts in 293 games played over the previous two seasons with the team, along with -17 DRS in 171 outfield games. Positively, he was at least an average hitter compared to Schwarber, with a.268 average during his first two seasons with the Phillies.
Throughout his career, Castellanos has also been a very inconsistent hitter. This was especially clear in 2022 and 2023, the Phillies’ final two postseason runs. With eight games played, six runs scored, four home runs, and nine RBI, he was the NLDS team hero both seasons.
In the decisive series of 2022 and 2023, he was a combined 4-for-48 with 21 strikeouts in 13 games, but at the worst possible moment, he went cold. His value to the Phillies would be much higher if he could be more consistent. But as of right now, he’s still a hit-or-miss player.
No. 4: J.T. Realmuto
J.T. Realmuto gave the Phillies their first real star catcher since Carlos Ruiz when they originally acquired him from the Miami Marlins in the 2018–19 offseason. Realmuto immediately established himself as a vital member of the Phillies team thanks to his combination of strong offense and defense, as well as his adept game calling.
Realmuto was re-signed by the Phillies during the 2020–21 offseason to a record-breaking five-year, $115.5 million contract after two excellent seasons with the team that saw him win a Gold Glove Award and a Silver Slugger Award in addition to being named an All-Star in 2019. That was the highest AAV ever awarded to a catcher in Major League Baseball history. The Phillies thought he was worth the price for a backstop who was regarded as one of the best all-around catchers in the game.
Realmuto has essentially maintained his career numbers in terms of offensive production each season for the first three years of his current contract. But during the course of the previous season, his defensive performance really suffered. After posting an 11 DRS and thwarting 44 percent of base stealers during his Gold Glove season in 2022, he had a mediocre season in 2023 with a whopping 81 bases stolen off of him for a 78 percent runner success rate.
The Phillies will need Realmuto to regain his elite defensive form once again in the coming seasons before the opposition literally “runs” them into the ground and eventually steals victories away from the ballclub. Otherwise, Realmuto has come as advertised so far in his tenure with the Phillies.
Aaron Nola has been the center of attention for the Phillies starting rotation for nearly ten years. Along with his different teammates, he has experienced all the highs and lows since making his ballclub debut in 2015. He has worked hard to overcome all of those obstacles and achieve the success they are currently enjoying.
Throughout his nine-year tenure with the Phillies, Nola has amassed a 90-71 winning record, a 3.72 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP, and 235 career starts with 1582 strikeouts in 1422 innings pitched. Among them are appearances in All-Star games and being a finalist for the 2018 NL Cy Young Award. Along with pitching in some crucial postseason games, he has a 5-3 record, a respectable 3.70 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, and nine career playoff starts with 50 strikeouts in 48 2/3 innings of work.
While he might not be as dominant as well-known aces like Clayton Kershaw, Justin Verlander, and Max Scherzer, he has proven to be dependable and consistent enough over the years to be the Phillies’ de-facto starting ace.
The Phillies have re-signed Nola to a massive seven-year, $172 million contract, which will keep him with the team until he turns 37, according to recent announcements. It is a great value deal for the Phillies for an annual AAV of about $24.5 million, considering that Nola probably left a few million dollars on the table to return to the only team he has ever called home.
However, it should be noted that he had an off season this past season, hitting a career-high 32 home runs and posting an unusual 4.46 ERA. Hopefully, he will return to his consistent form from earlier in the duration of his new contract.
If Nola’s performance from the previous season is any indication of his future trajectory, the Phillies may be in serious trouble. Nola’s ranking on this list would have been even higher but for this one little doubt.
No. 2: Zack Wheeler
Zack Wheeler had already shown that he had the ability to start at the front of the rotation when he was signed by the Phillies in the 2019-20 offseason. It remained to be seen if he could improve even further to become a pitching staff ace. After all, in his previous five years with the Mets, he had a respectable 44-38 record, 3.77 ERA, and 1.29 WHIP.
But since entering the Phillies’ starting rotation at the beginning of the decade, Wheeler has established himself as one of the best pitchers in the game, unquestionably becoming a co-ace with fan favorite Aaron Nola along the way. Wheeler has amassed an impressive 43-25 winning record in his four years with the Phillies, with a 3.06 ERA and 1.06 WHIP. He has also finished as the runner-up for the NL Cy Young award in 2021 and has 675 strikeouts in just 629 1/3 innings pitched.
More significantly, Wheeler has performed admirably for the Phillies in the most crucial postseason games. Over his career, he has a 4-3 record, a 2.42 ERA, a 0.73 WHIP, and 68 strikeouts in 63 1/3 innings of work.
Wheeler is among the best value free agent deals in baseball due to his exceptional performance for a contract that has only been worth $23.6 million AAV per season. To completely lock down their rotation for the foreseeable future, the Phillies should try to extend the contract of their star starter past 2024, as he only has one year left on it.
No. 1: Bryce Harper
What is there to say about Bryce Harper’s incredible seasons with the Phillies in the past few years?
The renowned superstar has maintained close to a 30-HR, 100-RBI pace each year when projected over a 162-game schedule. During his current five-year tenure with the ballclub, he has won an NL MVP award and two Silver Slugger awards, along with being an All-Star for the seventh time in his career.
Even more impressive is the fact that he recovered from Tommy John surgery ahead of schedule this past season in order to maximize his chances of helping the Phillies return to the postseason for a second straight season. In order to maximize the team’s potential on the field and safeguard his health, he was even willing to move from the outfield to first base. Throughout the team’s two World Series runs in the previous two seasons, he has made a significant impact and frequently steps up big at the perfect moments.
Harper, who is thirty-one years old, will begin the sixth year of a 13-year deal with the Phillies in 2024. Harper should have a lot left to give the ballclub in the upcoming years after moving permanently to first base to protect his health.
He has undoubtedly had the biggest influence on the Phillies’ success over the last few seasons and will provide them with a longer window of opportunity to contend for at least the next four to five years with excellent baseball.