Wow, that’s a massive contract. The reigning NL champions Philadelphia Phillies really want to avenge their World Series defeat as they have just signed SS Trea Turner for a whopping 11-year, $300M contract!
I really don’t know what else to say about this contract other than that it is a monster deal…with potentially monster ramifications.
Now, I’m not saying that Trea Turner didn’t deserve to get this absolutely enormous contract as he definitely did.
The former Dodgers shortstop is coming off a career year as he had had 101 runs, 194 hits, 100 RBI, 21 home runs, a .298 batting average, and played in 160 games (his most since 2018). Simply put, Turner was one of the most important factors in the Dodgers league best 111-win season, and his loss is a huge blow to LA’s hopes of winning a second World Series since the start of the decade.
Regardless, this isn’t about the Dodgers as Turner is now a part of the NL champions Philadelphia Phillies. So, does getting Turner mean that the Phillies are destined to make it back to the World Series? Well, probably.
If you look at the NL now, the only teams that can really challenge the Philles are the two that bested them for the Top-2 spots in their own division: the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets.
Aside from resigning Clayton Kershaw, the LA Dodgers have had a dreadful offseason as they lost many important players (including Turner), the Padres were lucky to get to the NL championship game, the Cardinals aren’t a threat at all, and that leaves the Braves and the Mets as the only teams in the NL to contest the Phillies for the NL’s World Series spot.
Out of those two teams, I’d say that the Mets are the more formidable side as they not only have kept the majority of their roster intact, but they were also able to replace Jacob deGrom with the statically better (but much older) and reigning World Series and AL Cy Young champion Justin Verlander. Plus, with Mets owner Steve Cohen willing to spend practically anything to win, this team will always be a threat in the NL.
As for the Braves, they haven’t lost anybody notable other than Dansby Swanson, though he still remains available to resign for the team. Given how this was a World Series winning roster only two seasons ago, the Braves are still a dangerous team that can pull off an unlikely playoff upset or two.
Nevertheless, the biggest factor going against the Phillies for a trip back to the World Series is if their bullpen can hold up across a 162-game regular season and an entire postseason again.
The Phillies have already lost starting pitcher Zach Eflin to the Tampa Bay Rays, while Noah Syndergaard, another starting pitcher from last season, remains a free agent. I know the Phillies value their current rotation and see many of them as ready to start now, but it wouldn’t hurt to pick up another veteran pitcher (such as Syndergaard) in free agency.
I mean, it’s not like the Phillies can’t afford it. With the Turner contract, the Phillies are now paying two players, Bryce Harper (13-years, $330M) and Trea Turner (11-years, $300M), over 300 million dollars. Plus, they are also shelling out $100M+ to another three players (Zach Wheeler: 5-years, $118M; J.T. Realmuto: 5-years, $115.5M; Nick Castellanos: 5-years, $100M), which brings their payroll for just these players alone to over $950M!
If you add in the contracts for the other players, the Phillies will be paying well over $1B to players to hit a ball. That’s wild!
We’ll see if the Phillies can make it back to the World Series or else this $1B+ payroll will be all for naught.
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