These Are the Four Worst Philadelphia Phillies Contracts on Next Season's Payroll

The Philadelphia Phillies have their fair of superstars, but they also have their fair share of superduds.

Sep 29, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (7) reacts after video replay confirmed he was tagged out at second base during a stolen base attempt by Washington Nationals second baseman Luis Garcia Jr. (2) during the seventh inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images / Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies have done a good job of spending money over the last five years to return to perennial contention.

It has led to three consecutive playoff appearances, a World Series appearance, a National League Championship Series appearance, and a one-and-done trip to the NLDS after winning the National League East.

While spending to win has been a proven method for winning, it also comes with its own share of risks, including overspending for players who do not live up to their deals.

Here are four such players on the payroll for 2025.

RP Jose Alvarado

One-Year, $9 Million; Potentially Two years, $18 Million

The Phillies acquired Jose Alvarado in a three-team trade with the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2020-2021 offseason.

In the year following, the lefty pitched to a 4.20 ERA across 55 2/3 innings with a 100 ERA+ in 64 appearances.

2022 was much better for Alvarado, reaching a 3.18 ERA and a 126 ERA+ in 51 innings, leading to a three-year extension worth $22 million with a club option for a fourth year for another $9 million.

While his surface numbers since the extension look fine, a 3.15 ERA across 103 innings, he has seven losses in that time, including five in 2024.

Alvarado has always been wild, carrying a career BB/9 of 4.9, and clogs the bases every time he takes the mound.

For someone who is expected to be a late-inning reliever, clogging the bases is exactly what teams do not want.

RF Nick Castellanos

Two years, $40 Million

Philadelphia signed Nick Castellanos in the 2021-2022 offseason to a five-year, $100 million deal, around the time that they signed Kyle Schwarber to a four-year, $79 million deal.

Many were left scratching their head on the Schwarber deal and praising the Castellanos deal, but the tables have turned on that sentiment.

For his career prior to signing, Castellanos batted .278/.329/.486 with 168 home runs, 594 RBI, and a 116 OPS+ across 4,473 plate appearances in 1,086 games.

Since signing, the veteran has batted .263/.309/.435 with 65 home runs, 254 RBI, and a 105 OPS+ across 1,888 plate appearances in 455 games.

Castellanos has one of the worst approaches in baseball, swinging at the first pitch 42.2% of the time over his career, and a whopping 51.1% of the time in 2024, calling his hitting style "glorified batting practice."

With his mindset on hitting, and openly stating that he is not focused on defense in the regular season, combined with the dropoff in his production, Castellanos has not come close to living up to the contract he signed.

The Phillies are shopping the veteran, so it remains to be seen if he will still be on the payroll by Opening Day.

SP Taijuan Walker

Two years, $36 Million

There is a phenomenon that exists called "recency bias," and many fall prey to it, seemingly none more so than baseball front offices.

Recency bias is the only thing that can explain why Philadelphia signed Taijuan Walker to a four-year $72 million deal ahead of the 2023 season.

Walker was coming off of a 2022 performance that saw him pitch to a 3.49 ERA across 157 1/3 innings with a 111 ERA+ in 29 starts.

Since he was signed by the Phillies, he carries a 5.27 ERA across 256 1/3 innings with an 80 ERA+ in 50 games (46 starts).

Many like to point at his win total to justify his presence on the roster, specifically in 2023 when the veteran tallied 15, but in 2024, pitcher wins is an antiquated stat, and those that point to it fail to realize how many runs the offense scored in Walker's starts.

The offense scored a total of 150 runs in his 31 starts in 2023 for an average of 4.83 per game, which can easily erase the 4.38 runs he allowed per game.

On a team with an offense less potent, Walker would have been lambasted for his performance in 2023 as he would not have had 15 wins on his record.

SS Trea Turner

Nine years, $245.4 Million

Buckle up.

The Phillies signed Trea Turner to an 11-year, $300 million deal to be a compliment to Bryce Harper, something he did in his time with the future Hall of Famer early in his career with the Washington Nationals.

To this point, Turner has not come close to living up to the contract.

While he was much better in 2024 than he was in 2023, surface-level numbers do not tell the whole story.

Turner batted .295/.338/.469 with 21 home runs, 62 RBI, and a 124 OPS+ in 2024, but he carried an xBA of .264 and an xSLG of .419, with a below average barrel rate (6.9%), bat speed (71.7 MPH), chase rate (33.9%), whiff rate (26.1%), and walk rate (5.0%).

The shortstop hit into a lot of good luck in 2024 and clouded the judgment of many in the process, while also being one of the worst defenders at his position, with his -3 Outs Above Average ranking 33rd out of 40 shortstops.

Turner has a full no-trade clause, and no opt-outs, so as it stands, so the club is stuck with him for at least nine more years.

All figures accurate as of Dec. 3.