Philadelphia Phillies spent their Kris Bryant money in a wiser way

The Philadelphia Phillies would have been a wonderful destination for Kris Bryant. Instead, he ended up with a seven-year deal from the Colorado Rockies worth $182 million.

It was a hefty price for a player of any ability. The number of years he signed for also required a huge commitment.

The Phillies didn’t end up with him but they did spend the money. Instead of paying Bryant $182 million, they signed Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos for a total of $179 million.

The Philadelphia Phillies used their Kris Bryant fund to land Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos instead.

Would the Phillies be a better team with Kris Bryant on the team this year or Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos? We’ll have to see. A lot can happen.

There’s no debating, though, that if the Phillies did sign Bryant and he was the only big bat they did add we’d all be feeling underwhelmed right now. The team needed far more than his stick in the middle of the order. So, rather than meet his contract demands, they acquired a pair of players for $3 million less and for fewer years, too.

Schwarber and Castellanos are imperfect players with their bad defense standing out most. Nonetheless, each is capable of making up for it at the plate. What’s more, Bryant isn’t exactly a superior defender. He can move around a few places but aside from that, he’s average at best.

One could make the argument that they would prefer to have Bryant and one of the other two: Schwarber of Castellanos. It’s a fair one to make. I feel the same way.

Given the choice between one star free agent slugger and the two the Phillies did end up signing, I’ll go with the latter. Putting Bryant in the middle of the lineup makes the Phillies a better team. Putting Schwarber and Castellanos there suddenly makes them one bat deeper and a little more threatening.

Bryant ended up getting the second-biggest contract this offseason only behind Corey Seager of the Texas Rangers. His $182 million deal bested everyone else. Like Indiana Jones at the end of The Last Crusade, they have chosen wisely.