The Major League Baseball calendar may not have officially moved to the off-season part of the schedule just yet, but the Philadelphia Phillies front office can start looking forward. After a loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 7 of the NLCS, the Phillies were officially eliminated from the playoffs.
While the World Series is still ongoing, Philadelphia’s front office can already begin focusing on their important roster decisions heading into the 2024 season. They already started by parting ways with two members of their coaching staff. Manager Rob Thomson remains, and he, Dave Dombrowski, and the front office have some key decisions to make when it comes to players who were with the club in 2023.
Free Agents
Of all of the players the Phillies employed at the end of their 2023 campaign, only four are set to have their contracts expire. Pitchers Aaron Nola, Michael Lorenzen, and Craig Kimbrel – as well as first baseman Rhys Hoskins all will hit free agency just five days after the World Series comes to a close.
Nola was drafted by Philadelphia and has been a workhorse throughout his career. The right-hander hasn’t missed a start in six seasons.
However, he has also been inconsistent for what people would normally consider to be an ace-level starter. His incredible seasons in 2018 and 2022 are possibly outweighed by some struggles in September, and his 2023 campaign will leave a sour taste in fans’ mouths. Despite this, there are not many top-tier options available on the market this year, and Dave Dombrowski has already said publicly that resigning Nola will be a “priority” for the team.
Michael Lorenzen’s versatility and the high demand for pitching across the league will likely result in him finding a new home for 2024. A great teammate with an incredible start to his Phillies tenure, Lorenzen is also more than willing to do what a team needs, whether that be a starter or a reliever. With a thin free-agent class, the Phillies may wave goodbye to Lorenzen while still focusing on Nola.
Craig Kimbrel is likely going to be someone who is in high demand on another one-year deal. Dave Dombrowski has shown a willingness to shell out money in the short term for high-impact bullpen pieces, so this will be one to monitor closely. Fans will likely be upset or hold out hope that he isn’t put into high-stress situations after some rough post-season outings, but that shouldn’t stop the front office from considering the future hall of famer.
The toughest decision will come to Rhys Hoskins. Another player drafted by the Phillies, Rhys’ injury in spring training forced Philadelphia to get creative in an effort to fill the hole he left both in the field and the lineup. Bryce Harper ended up moving to first base as he continued to recover from Tommy John surgery, and there will be a lengthy conversation with the Phillies star to see where he prefers to play moving forward:
“It’s more sitting down with Bryce and seeing what he feels,” Dombrowski said, “but I also don’t want to put it on Bryce, that’s something we have to decide ourselves.”
Dave Dombrowski, via Corey Seidman – NBC Sports Philadelphia
If Bryce wants to play the other hot corner moving forward, there is nowhere for Rhys to go with the way the roster is currently built. If he wants to move back to right field, the team would be sacrificing defense in an effort to add Hoskins’ productive bat back into the lineup.
Arbitration-Eligible Phillies
The Phillies have eight players who are currently in the arbitration part of their contracts, and the front office will have to make a decision on whether they want to negotiate with the player or let them enter free agency by November 17. Those players, and their potential salaries in arbitration (estimated by MLB Trade Rumors contributor Matt Swartz) are as follows:
- Jeff Hoffman (5.084): $2.1MM
- Ranger Suarez (4.112): $4.7MM
- Gregory Soto (4.102): $4.9MM
- Jake Cave (4.071): $1.4MM
- Edmundo Sosa (3.140): $1.7MM
- Dylan Covey (3.138): $1MM
- Garrett Stubbs (3.120): $900K
- Alec Bohm (3.106): $4.3MM
Most of the players on this list were key parts of the team and should be brought back. Cave and Covey both spent a good portion of the season in the minors, so they would both be easy non-tender candidates. Stubbs doesn’t play much, but is a great clubhouse guy and one of the better defensive catchers when he does play, especially when it comes to thwarting would-be base stealers.
EzSosa is a solid utility player, Bohm set career highs in HR and RBI this past season and at the very least, would be valuable in a trade if the team decided they wanted to move in a different direction at the hot corner. Soto, Hoffman, and Suarez were all high-impact pitchers in key positions and will return to those roles in 2024.
Options
There is only one player in the organization who has an option that needs to be decided this off-season, and you haven’t seen him in the majors in a bit. Scott Kingery was signed to a long extension prior to playing his first major league game – and it has not gone well. Scotty Jetpacks will see his time with the Phillies come to an end, as the team has a $13MM club option for 2024 ($1MM buyout). If they opt in for some reason, they would also owe Kingery another $29 MM over 2025 and 2026. One can all but guarantee that option will be declined by the team.
Overall, the roster is pretty set. There are options out there at first base, third base, outfield, and pitching staff if they choose to make surprising changes, but outside of Hoskins the offense and defense is pretty much set for a few years. Don’t expect an off-season filled with fireworks like the last two, but expect big money to be spent on a top-tier starting pitcher (likely Nola), and a few bullpen pieces added if Kimbrel does not return.
Photo Credit: (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
