What was the best bargain contract in Phillies history?

Everybody loves getting something cheaper than you thought you would. The thrill of receiving a bargain is a real thing, just ask one of the people who were camping outside of a Wal-Mart last night and this morning. In honor of those people and the annual tradition of Black Friday, we’re going to take a look at some of the best bargain contracts in Phillies history.

It would be hard to argue that Zack Wheeler wasn’t the best contract in Phillies history. Wheeler signed a five year, $119M contract with the Phillies before the 2020 season. It may be hard to remember now, but at the time it was considered a gamble, as Wheeler was an oft injured pitcher for the Mets who only had three seasons of 150+ innings in his six seasons in MLB.

Wheeler then blossomed into arguably the best pitcher in the sport over that span, leading all starters with 25.4 WAR and a 2.96 FIP while coming in second in wins (59), ERA (2.94), and innings pitched (829.1) among starters to make at least 120 starts. In some ways, Wheeler out-pitched Gerrit Cole, who signed the same offseason with the Yankees on a contract whose total value was more than double that of Wheeler’s at nine years and $324M.

Kyle Schwarber signed two years later, and he also has an argument for the best bargain in Phillies history. Schwarber signed a four year, $79M contract with the Phillies before the 2022 season. He was just one full season removed from being non-tendered by the Cubs following a miserable 2020 season where he hit .188 with a .701 OPS. Schwarber improved in 2021 and even made the All-Star team with the Nationals before being traded to the Red Sox. Still, some were skeptical that he would be worth what the Phillies gave him and if his change in approach was for real.

Schwarber ended up being worth it all and more, as over the next four seasons, his 187 home runs led all National League hitters and was third in MLB behind only Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. He continued to improve each season in Philadelphia, evolving into one of the most complete hitters in baseball. His contract culminated in a record-setting year where he finished the runner up for NL MVP and slugged a league high 56 home runs, coming up just two short of Ryan Howard’s Phillies franchise record set in 2006. Schwarber is now on the verge of cashing in on a $100M+ contract despite being a soon to be 33-year-old designated hitter.

These are just two very recent examples of contracts signed by the Phillies that turned out to be extreme bargains. Do you have any others in mind? What was the biggest bargain contract in Phillies history?