Predicting how 2020 Phillies hitters will do in free agency

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Several 2020 Phillies position players are now free agents; here’s what we predict they will earn this offseason.

Only four position players from the 2020 Philadelphia Phillies roster have become free agents this offseason, but that includes two of their star players: Didi Gregorius and J.T. Realmuto.

While it’s impossible to know how much money MLB teams will spend this offseason, here’s my guess of what each of those position players will earn.

Didi Gregorius

When Didi Gregorius signed with the Phillies for $14 million last offseason, he intended to re-establish his value after a season lost to injury. A healthy Gregorius playing the way he did from 2015-2018 would have been able to command much more than $14 million for one year.

Gregorius played well enough in 2020 to prove that he’s just as good as he was before his Tommy John surgery. However, the Phillies did not offer him an $18.9 million qualifying offer. This suggests that the market for Gregorius will not be as lucrative as he was hoping it would be when he signed that “prove-it” deal last offseason.

That being said, Gregorius will still surely be looking for a multi-year deal now. Next year, shortstops Francisco Lindor, Corey Seager, Trevor Story, Javier Baez, and Carlos Correa could all be free agents, and I’m sure Gregorius doesn’t want to be competing for a contract with that group.

Considering his age and talent level, I think Gregorius is looking at a three-year deal. That would likely cover his final years as a productive defensive shortstop. While I think Gregorius could have earned a four-year $80 million deal last offseason had he been healthy, this year he’ll be looking at significantly less.

My prediction: 3 years, $45 million

J.T. Realmuto

Catcher J.T. Realmuto reportedly wants a new contract that would set a benchmark for free agent catchers. While it’s almost certain that he will top Buster Posey‘s record for average annual value ($19.875 million), it’s looking very unlikely that he will earn more guaranteed money than Joe Mauer did ($184 million) with his record-setting contract back in 2010.

Most experts seem to agree that Realmuto will earn somewhere between $120 million and $140 million on a five-year deal. However, I believe that there will be quite a bidding war for Realmuto’s services between the Phillies, New York Yankees, New York Mets, and possibly even more teams. This will undoubtedly drive up his price.

My prediction: Six years, $150 million

Jay Bruce

SluggerJay Bruce is well past his days as a starter in an MLB lineup. However, he still has a lot of pop in his bat and can hit respectably against right-handed pitchers. He deserves a role on a major league bench.

Unfortunately, players like Bruce are in for some hard luck this offseason. With most teams looking to cut costs, veteran bench players are going to get ignored in favor of young guys making the league minimum.

Luckily for Bruce, he has a good enough reputation around the league and strong enough numbers against right-handers (.821 OPS in 2020) that he should be able to secure a contract.

My prediction: 1 year, $900,000

Phil Gosselin

While area native Phil Gosselin started off the season hot and had many fans clamoring to give him more playing time, he ultimately finished the season with a paltry -0.1 fWAR. Simply put, Gosselin should not get regular playing time on a major league team.

However, as a replacement-level kind of guy, he could slot in as a competent bench bat for almost any team. He’s likely to have his pick of minor league contract offers.

Prediction: Minor league deal

light. More. Predicting how 2020 Phillies pitchers will do in free agency

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Several 2020 Phillies position players are now free agents; here’s what we predict they will earn this offseason.

Didi Gregorius

J.T. Realmuto

Jay Bruce

Phil Gosselin

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