Could the Phillies Make an Unprecedented Move With Andrew Painter?

There was a time when Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Andrew Painter was a top-five prospect in all of baseball, but an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery in 2023 threw a massive wrench into things for the youngster.

Painter missed all of the 2024 minor-league campaign and struggled in his first year back last season, logging a 5.40 ERA over 22 starts at Triple-A.

Regardless, the Phillies remained steadfast in their belief that Painter has frontline potential, and lo and behold, the 22-year-old is a part of Philadelphia's big-league rotation this season.

Painter dazzled in his first start, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out eight in 5.1 innings during a win over the Washington Nationals.

It's obviously still incredibly early, but it was hard not to come away impressed with what we saw from Painter, and it's worth noting that he looked fantastic in Spring Training, as well.

It begs the question: should the Phillies actually consider an early extension with Painter?

We just saw the Seattle Mariners and Milwaukee Brewers sign top prospects to lucrative, long-term contract extensions. The Pittsburgh Pirates may follow suit with Konnor Griffin. It's becoming rather trendy.

Of course, in the case of the Mariners (Colt Emerson) and Brewers (Cooper Pratt), the two prospects were position players. Griffin is a shortstop himself. This isn't something teams would typically do with a pitcher ... especially one with an injury history.

But considering just how talented Painter is and the fact that he has already gotten Tommy John surgery out of the way, you do have to wonder if it's something Philadelphia would weigh.

Chances are, team president Dave Dombrowski will want to play the waiting game. Painter has barely pitched in the majors, after all, and the last thing Dombrowski wants is to lock himself into a long-term deal with a bust.

And not that the Phillies are going to trade Painter, because I think he is virtually untouchable, but signing him to an expensive pact could ultimately diminish his trade value.

In terms of the latter, however, the same could be argued for Emerson and Pratt, so maybe Philadelphia wouldn't mind being so aggressive?

Historically, a Painter extension would be far too early to even begin discussing, but times appear to be changing in baseball. Heck, the Phillies themselves just inked Cristopher Sanchez to a fat contract even though he had years of club control remaining. It was a pretty team-friendly deal, but it was still a rare move.

At this point, nothing can be ruled out entirely.

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