For any follower of the Philadelphia Phillies — or even baseball in general — the name "Rhys Hoskins" will bring up memories of him wearing just one uniform: the Phillies. The slugger spent the first seven years of his career (2023 being lost to injury) in Philadelphia and had become one of the more popular players on the roster during his tenure.
Hoskins departed via free agency in favor of the Milwaukee Brewers ahead of this past season. While he finally had health on his side, the power-hitting first baseman finished his year with a .214 average and 98 OPS+, despite the fact that he hit 26 home runs and drove in 82 runs. Basically, he was a home-run-or-bust type of player for the Brewers.
Now that he has elected to pick up his player option for the 2025 campaign, Hoskins is stuck on the Brewers on a large, ugly contract that the club is reportedly looking to move. The Brewers are forever stuck in penny-pinching mode, so Hoskins' decision to come back is sure to bite them in more ways than one.
Former Phillies slugger Rhys Hoskins may be on the move this offseason
Hoskins is a client of super-agent Scott Boras, so it's not exactly a shock that he was able to secure a two-year deal a year ago. The fact that Boras negotiated a second year in the form of a player option is just the latest example of him putting on an absolute masterclass. Now, his client is getting paid a considerable amount of money while likely providing below-average production.
Rumor has it that the Brewers are looking to get out from under Hoskins' contract (subscription required) this offseason, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Getting in the way of them doing so is a massive list of other - and better - first basemen who are available on the open market.
The free-agent market's biggest names like Juan Soto, Willy Adames and Max Fried have already come off the board, but there are a boatload of first basemen still available. Pete Alonso and Christian Walker represent the top tier while Anthony Rizzo, Josh Bell and old friend Carlos Santana are also still out there.
It's a shame to see Hoskins turn into nothing more than dead weight on a team's payroll. Seeing a fan favorite fall from grace like this is tough, but it's worth wondering if he'd be getting the same red-headed-step-child treatment if he were on a club in a larger market that doesn't need to constantly cut payroll.