Why Phillies should think long term with Justin Crawford, Andrew Painter

Major League Baseball’s youth movement has already taken the league by storm in 2026.

Offensively, it’s been the rookies in the Central divisions doing most of the damage. Detroit’s Kevin McGonigle — a Delaware County native — Cleveland’s Chase DeLauter, Cincinnati’s Sal Stewart, St. Louis’ JJ Wetherholt and Pittsburgh’s Konnor Griffin, baseball’s top prospects.

On the mound, the Mets’ Nolan McLean and the Pirates’ Bubba Chandler have looked the part.

The Phillies have a pair of talented youngsters in center fielder Justin Crawford and right-hander Andrew Painter. They’ve been among the few bright spots on the club outside of the established mainstays.

It’s a star-studded class, but what’s the point?

The rookie wave around the sport has made one thing clear: plenty of teams already feel confident in their young players and the direction of their future. Baseball is in good hands with this much young talent spread throughout the game.

But the future of the sport itself feels less certain beyond this season.

The collective bargaining agreement expires after 2026, and the next round of negotiations — likely centered around a salary cap, salary floor, and new payroll rules — could very well lead to a work stoppage in 2027.

That creates a reason for teams to act now.

If clubs believe the financial rules of the sport will look different a year from now, there is logic in locking up their young players early, buying out arbitration years and securing cost certainty ahead of the system changes.

That is not a new idea.

Teams have been doing this for years, and some have done it extremely well. Atlanta locking up Ronald Acuña Jr. on an eight-year, $100 million deal before the 2019 season remains one of the biggest bargains in the sport.

Just last year, Boston extended rookie outfielder Roman Anthony, once the game’s No. 1 prospect, on an eight-year, $130 million deal, effectively buying out the arbitration years. Then came this year’s nine-year, $140 million pact for Griffin. The Cardinals and Wetherholt have reportedly been working toward something similar, too.

Even a pair of top prospects still in the minors got paid. Milwaukee extended infield prospect Cooper Pratt on an eight-year, $50.75 million deal with two club options. Seattle did the same with one of baseball’s best names and best infield prospects in Colt Emerson, signing him for eight years and $95 million with hefty escalators.

There is, of course, risk. And Phillies fans know that.

Former general manager Matt Klentak and top infield prospect Scott Kingery agreed to a six-year, $24 million deal back in March 2018 before the coveted farmhand ever appeared in a big league game in Philadelphia. The contract also included three club options. Kingery ended up playing only 325 Major League games with the Phillies and posted a paltry .667 OPS.

That deal will always color how Phillies fans view this kind of discussion.

But even with that in mind, it would be wise for the Phillies to at least consider extensions with Crawford, 22, and Painter, 23.

These are two soon-to-be organizational mainstays. Both are names the fan base has been hearing about for years and were first-round picks in consecutive years by this regime.

So why would Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, general manager Preston Mattingly and owner John Middleton be inclined to do it?

Because this is an older Phillies core.

Three years from now, outside of the two rookies, the only roster guarantees on the books are Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo and Aaron Nola. That makes the organization’s oft-discussed youth infusion critical to what comes next.

Crawford, batting .306 to begin his career, and Painter, with a 3.77 ERA through three appearances, are two of the youngest major league pieces the Phillies have relied on in quite some time. More importantly, the organization showed no reluctance to lock up part of its future in Clearwater this spring.

They signed 28-year-old left-hander Jesús Luzardo to a five-year, $135 million extension and reworked Cristopher Sánchez’s bargain deal into a six-year agreement worth north of $100 million, keeping him in red pinstripes through 2032.

Those deals gave the Phillies cost certainty and positioned them ahead of a CBA set to expire in December.

A deal for Crawford or Painter would follow the same logic. Buy out the arbitration years, add a few seasons beyond them and give the club flexibility with options on the back end. If either player becomes even more than the Phillies already believe he is, the contract could look team-friendly in a hurry.

This conversation might feel even more urgent if top-ranked prospect Aidan Miller had stayed healthy and torn through the Minors this spring. A back injury has prevented that in 2026. Still, Miller remains central to the Phillies’ future infield plans, especially with Alec Bohm in a contract year and Bryson Stott set to reach free agency in 2028.

Either way, the larger point stands.

For a club that is going to operate in the top tier of payroll for years to come, exploring efficient, team-friendly extensions makes sense. The Phillies have believed in Crawford’s and Painter’s talent for a long time, and a pair of long-term deals would be another chance to validate that belief.