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Phillies are paying $34 million to players who aren't even on the roster anymore
TL;DR
The Philadelphia Phillies are paying $34 million to players no longer on their roster, including Taijuan Walker and Nick Castellanos. These financial commitments come after unsuccessful free agent signings.
Key points
- Phillies paying $34 million to former players
- Taijuan Walker and Nick Castellanos are the players
- Both players are no longer on the roster
- Financial commitments affect team budget
- Walker was signed for $72 million
Philadelphia PhilliesTaijuan WalkerNick Castellanos
Phillies are paying $34 million to players who aren't even on the roster anymore originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Philadelphia Phillies made a surprise appearance in the World Series in 2022, and began a trek to return in 2023 by signing a few players, one of which being Taijuan Walker for $72 million.
That deal didn't work out at all, as he's now been released. But, he's far from the only player the Phillies have cut ties with over the last few years after Dave Dombrowski signed them to a free agent deal.
Between the Walker release and the Nick Castellanos release in the offseason, the Phillies are paying $34 million to two players who aren't even on the roster this season.
Phillies are paying $34M to players not on roster
As Matt Gelb of The Athletic highlighted back in the offseason, the Phillies' release of Castellanos meant the team would be taking on $19.22 million in dead money thanks to the San Diego Padres signing Castellanos and taking off a bit from the $20 million figure.
Gelb also shared that the Phillies will be spending $15 million to have Walker not be part of the pitching staff for the rest of the year, which is not a good look at all, generally speaking.
"The Phillies have now devoted a large sum of dead money - $19.22 million to Nick Castellanos and $15 million to Walker - to this year's payroll," Gelb writes.
Q&A
Why are the Phillies paying $34 million to players not on the roster?
The Phillies are paying this amount due to the release of players Taijuan Walker and Nick Castellanos, who were signed to expensive free agent deals.
Who are the players the Phillies are still paying?
The players the Phillies are still paying are Taijuan Walker and Nick Castellanos, both of whom are no longer part of the team.
What impact does this financial commitment have on the Phillies' roster?
This financial commitment limits the Phillies' budget for new signings and roster improvements as they allocate funds to players no longer contributing to the team.