Phillies' Updated Lineup, 2021 Payroll After New Gregorius, Realmuto Contracts

The Philadelphia Phillies capped a busy week by reportedly agreeing to a deal with shortstop Didi Gregorius on Saturday. 

Per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Gregorius is returning to the Phillies on a two-year pact worth $28 million. 

That deal came about after the Phillies officially announced J.T. Realmuto's new five-year contract Friday. MLB.com's Todd Zolecki reported the deal is worth $115.5 million. 

With Gregorius and Realmuto back in the fold, Philadelphia's 2021 lineup will look very similar to the group that manager Joe Girardi used for most of last season:

Even though there was no guarantee that the Phillies were going to spend money this offseason, the hiring of Dave Dombrowski as president of baseball operations in December certainly suggested it could happen. His history with the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox is one of investing in high-priced veteran players. 

When the Gregorius deal becomes official, Philadelphia will have spent more money than any National League team this offseason. Only the Toronto Blue Jays, who gave George Springer a six-year, $150 million deal earlier this month, have been more active in free agency:

Spotrac estimated Philadelphia's 2021 payroll before the Gregorius deal to be $152.67 million.

Assuming Gregorius' contract is structured to average $14 million in each season, that will bring the total payroll up to $166.67 million. That will rank third in Major League Baseball, behind the Los Angeles Dodgers ($194.84 million) and New York Yankees ($189.89 million). 

The biggest concern for the Phillies as they look to end their nine-year playoff drought is the bullpen. Their relievers ranked 28th in FanGraphs WAR last season. Their 7.06 ERA was the second-worst by a bullpen in MLB history (the 1930 Phillies had an 8.01 ERA). 

Philadelphia did add to its stable of relievers by signing Archie Bradley and acquiring Jose Alvarado from the Tampa Bay Rays and Sam Coonrod from the San Francisco Giants. Bradley has been terrific since 2017 with a 2.95 ERA and 259 strikeouts over 234.2 innings in 221 appearances. 

Alvarado is looking to reestablish himself after posting a 5.08 ERA over the past two seasons with the Rays. Coonrod fell off a cliff with a 9.82 ERA in 18 games last season after posting a 3.58 ERA as a rookie in 2019. 

All of the pieces outside the bullpen are in place to make the Phillies into a viable NL playoff contender. Their quest is complicated by playing in arguably MLB's deepest division, though. 

The Atlanta Braves still boast a loaded roster after winning the NL East in each of the past three seasons. The New York Mets have been the biggest winners of the offseason thanks to acquiring Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco from Cleveland. 

The Washington Nationals dealt with a series of injuries and poor performances last year, but they are heading into 2021 with a starting rotation fronted by Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin. Juan Soto is a perennial MVP candidate, even though he's only 22 years old. Kyle Schwarber and Josh Bell add depth to the lineup. 

The Miami Marlins made the postseason last year thanks to a promising young starting rotation led by Sixto Sanchez, Pablo Lopez and Sandy Alcantara. 

The Phillies are as good as any team in the NL East, especially after keeping Realmuto and Gregorius. If they get just league-average production from the bullpen, they will be playing in October for the first time since 2011.