Philadelphia Phillies Have No Choice But All In: Philly Sports Chatter

PHILADELPHIA, PA —So what did you expect from a team that went to the World Series and lost?

That they were going to pull the plug and decide that last year's unexpected playoff run was a fluke and that the Philadelphia Phillies are pretenders instead of contenders.

It's not a surprise that the Phillies were one of the most active teams at baseball's Winter Meetings. It's not a surprise that they landed the biggest fish next to Aaron Judge.

This team had to do it. They're all in. And that should come as no surprise to any Philadelphia sports fan.

You know this city. To not go for it after this past playoff run would be unthinkable.

Dave Dombrowski, the team's president of baseball operations, does not shy away from challenges. He's answering the call of owner John Middletown and star player Bryce Harper to bring another championship to the city.

At all costs. And this past week, Dombrowski has delivered, stocking the team with a top-notch starting shortstop in Trea Turner and a few pitchers, one for the starting rotation and the other for the bullpen.

Sure, the Turner deal at 11 years and $300 million might be a little over the top. We said the same thing about Harper and he's worth every penny for winning the MVP award and leading the playoff charge by putting the team on his back.

It's the second-largest contract handed out in franchise history after the team's record-breaking deal to Harper in 2019.

With Harper sidelined for elbow surgery for several months, someone needed to fill the void.

Turner does so and adds to a promising core of Harper, Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, Nick Castellanos, Bryson Stott, Brandon Marsh, and Alec Bohm. All are under team control until at least 2025.

Dombrowski, though, didn't stop there.

He stole a starter from the rival New York Mets by signing Taijuan Walker to a four-year, $72 million deal. That's no chump change either.

Walker will likely slot in behind Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola, and just ahead of Ranger Suarez, in what should be a top rotation in the National League. You always need pitching and pitching depth and the starting rotation has been a weakness for years.

The Phillies need to be competitive to stay strong with the likes of the Mets, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Atlanta Braves.

There's no guarantee that they can get back to the World Series. But sometimes the games are won in December by how you build a team as much as by playing the games during a six-month season.

Dombrowski, in taking four teams to the World Series, understands this. He also knows he has an owner hungry to win, a team with a taste of championship play, and a fan base thirsting for a championship that hopefully, the Philadelphia Eagles can deliver this year.

If not, all eyes will turn to the Phillies.

So this team had to be All In. There wasn't much of a choice. The Phillies need to take another shot. They came so close.