3 Phillies we're glad will be gone by spring training 2025: Taijuan Walker's replacement is on the way

The Philadelphia Phillies are once again back to the drawing board after a frustratingly premature postseason exit. In the aftermath of their heartbreaking World Series loss in 2022, Philadelphia has trended in the wrong direction, getting eliminated a round earlier with each successive campaign. If the pattern continues, Philly is a Wild Card out in 2026.

Obviously, Dave Dombrowski would love to reverse that trend and put the Phillies back on the mountaintop. This team has more than enough talent to challenge the Dodgers or Braves in a competitive National League. Bryce Harper is always in the MVP mix and Trea Turner, for all his shortcomings, remains a bonafide five-tool star. The Phillies have star-power for days and a GM with a notorious streak of bold, aggressive signings. There is real optimism over how this winter will unfold.

Philadelphia might not land Juan Soto, but names like Alex Bregman, Willy Adames, and Garrett Crochet are tossed around on the regular. Dombrowski is aiming for the stars — and hopefully, he's able to reach 'em this time around. Harper, Turner, and this entire roster is getting up there in age, so the window of opportunity is steadily shrinking. There's no time like the present to go all-in.

That said, with each major addition the Phillies make, there will need to be a subtraction. Here are the Phillies who won't be back for 2025 spring training — and why we're glad of it.

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3. Carlos Estevez is gone after a forgettable half-season with Phillies

Carlos Estevez arrived in Philadelphia at the trade deadline as Dombrowski's splashiest move. He was another battle-tested late reliever to slot behind All-Stars Matt Strahm and Jeff Hoffman in the bullpen. For a team with Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, and five total All-Stars on the pitching staff, this sure felt like a move to put the Phillies over the top.

In the end, however, Estevez (and the entire bullpen, frankly) came up small on the postseason stage. Estevez wasn't necessarily the primary culprit for Philadelphia's underperformance, but he was unable to string together outs in an important high-leverage spot, which led directly to the New York Mets' swift 3-1 NLDS victory.

Here is Estevez coughing up a grand slam to Francisco Lindor in the sixth inning of the Phillies' do-or-die Game 5 loss.

The actual stats paint a kinder picture — Estevez allowed two hits and one earned run across 2.2 innings of postseason baseball, as he inherited those loaded bases — but it's hard to wash the taste of such an iconic, negative moment out of one's mouth. Estevez was quite good in his brief Phillies tenure, but he wasn't the lockdown, truly elite closer fans wanted. Dombrowski's lack of aggression at the 2024 trade deadline will haunt him for a while. Estevez never should have been the crown jewel of Philly's midseason upgrades, but he was, and it ended in tragedy.

He's going to make a fine closer somewhere else in 2025.

2. Alec Bohm is the most obvious trade candidate on the Phillies roster

The Phillies want Alex Bregman or Willy Adames to play third base, which means getting rid of Alec Bohm. The 28-year-old is coming off of his first All-Star berth, but Bohm's late-season collapse put Philadelphia in an impossible position once the playoffs arrived. Rob Thomson even benched Bohm for a brief moment in the NLDS. His swing was completely out of whack when the Phillies needed it most.

We shouldn't abandon all Alec Bohm stock — he's a fine player with a reasonably bright future — but his tenure in Philadelphia has always been a mixed bag, defined by aggravating lows ("I f***ing hate this place") and rousing highs. The Phillies need somebody who peaks more consistently in the "high" realm, which Bregman or Adames would accomplish.

As such, Bohm becomes one of the offseason's most intriguing trade candidate. Not many affordable, late-20s All-Stars from contenders are just... made available. The Phillies are asking for an arm and a leg, which probably won't stick, but Bohm is sure to draw a nice package of prospects in return if (or when) a trade does go down. Heck, he might even land Philadelphia another immediate contributor if all goes well.

This is more of a bittersweet farewell. If the Phillies trade Bohm, it will presumably be to clear the way for Bregman, Adames, or another major upgrade in the infield. That is just something Dombrowski has to do if it's available to him. Bohm ought to bounce back in 2025, but there's a good chance he does so in a new uniform.

1. Taijuan Walker's days are numbered in a Phillies uniform

Taijuan Walker's contract, which pays him $18 million annually through 2026, is a complicating factor here. The Phillies won't be able to dump his salary with ease. If anything, Philadelphia would need to pay off the majority of his remaining $36 million to get a deal across the finish line.

That said, with Walker coming off one of the worst pitching seasons in recent memory, his days have to be numbered in Philadelphia. We know the Phillies are in on Garrett Crochet, while Dombrowski's reported insistence on George Kirby or Logan Gilbert in Alec Bohm trade talks with Seattle hint at an unambiguous desire to upgrade the fifth starting spot. Philadelphia essentially has four proven, high-level starters in Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sanchez, and Ranger Suarez. The odd man out — the obvious chink in the armor — is Walker.

Does Walker get tossed into a trade for another star, such as Crochet or Luis Robert Jr. from the White Sox? Maybe. Is he just dumped to a desperate wannabe contender with 90 percent of his salary paid off? Also possible. What can't happen is Philadelphia bringing back Walker and plugging him into a significant role, whether it's a starting gig or a prominent bullpen spot. Giving him $18 million to tank Philadelphia's competitive odds every few games is a bad strategy.

The Phillies are in a tough spot with Walker's contract, again, but the clear effort to trade for his replacement is a signal that Walker is not part of Philadelphia's short or long-term plans. That is a relief.