PHILADELPHIA— Free agency has begun in Major League Baseball.
The Philadelphia Phillies announced several moves this evening, including parting ways with a few members of their 2024 roster. Yunior Marte, Luis Ortiz, Freddy Tarnok, Kolby Allard, and Rodolfo Castro had all cleared waivers and were released into Free Agency. They may choose to sign with any club, and the Phillies could potentially bring them back into the fold. If any of those players could be back, I would expect either Marte or Allard to be cheap options.
The club also announced that they had added three new players to the organization. In a trade with the Detroit Tigers, the Phillies sent cash considerations for right-handed pitcher Devin Sweet. He was then placed on the 40-man roster. They claimed right-handed pitcher John McMillon from waivers. McMillon was with the Miami Marlins organization last season. Lastly, they added Alan Rangel to their 40-man roster. He is currently with the Clearwater Thrashers. This is a move to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.
New Phillies
Devin Sweet spent all of 2024 in Triple-A with the Toledo Mud Hens in the Tigers’ organization. Sweet, 28 years old, pitched in 52 games, where he pitched to a 3.91 earned run average. He recorded 4 saves across 76 innings of work. He complied 111 strikeouts and walked 38 batters for a 13.1 K/9 %. This is a pitcher with tremendous upside in terms of “stuff,” a baseball word used for having tremendous arm talent.
Sweet does have issues with the long ball, however. He allowed 11 home runs in his 76 innings last season and gave up 62 hits. While he has strikeout potential, the Phillies will need to focus on his command and pitch mix during Spring Training. This could be a potential replacement for Yunior Marte, who was let go on Monday.
John McMillon, the other new arm in the Phillies’ organization, spent time in both the majors and Triple-A last season for the Miami Marlins. The 26-year-old pitched 12 innings for the Marlins, tossing to a 3.00 earned run average. He had 13 strikeouts in the majors with 5 walks allowed but only allowed 2 earned runs in his limited 10 appearances.
John started the year with the Royals in Triple-A but was then waived and claimed by the Marlins. In Triple-A, he appeared in 29 games with a 6.32 ERA. He threw for 31.1 innings and struck out 37 batters. However, he walked 27 hitters in the minors, showing a need to improve his command. Locating his pitches seemed to improve once he joined the Marlins organization, but he will have to work on his craft heading into Spring Training.
Clearing the 40-Man
In order to add these new players, the Phillies made choices with several veteran arms.
The two biggest moves made were the releases of Yunior Marte and Kolby Allard. Marte joined the team in 2023 and provided quality depth between the big leagues and Triple-A. Yunior pitched in 63 games during two seasons with the Phillies. He spent the end of his tenure with the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, and I could see a reunion between the two sides depending on how Marte’s free agency plays out. He could make his way back to Philadelphia with a non-roster invite to Spring Training.
Kolby Allard was another name that most fans will remember from the 2024 season. Allard got a lot of playing time with injuries in the starting rotation and bounced back and forth between the big leagues and Triple-A. Kolby made 4 starts and appeared in 7 games for the team. He pitched to a 2-0 record with a 5.00 ERA in those outings. His starts against the Diamondbacks and Royals earned him props from his teammates. Allard is another player who could potentially make his way back to Philadelphia with a non-roster invite to Spring Training.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
