It was reported this offseason that Bryce Harper had hoped the Philadelphia Phillies would bring back their former star first baseman, Rhys Hoskins. Ultimately, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski passed on the slugger, and Hoskins ended up with the Cleveland Guardians on a minor league deal. Now, Hoskins has made Cleveland’s opening day roster, reaffirming the fact that the Phillies missed a great opportunity.
Rhys Hoskins made his major league debut during one of the darkest points of the Phillies’ decade-long rebuild, providing a jolt of energy to a lifeless 2017 team. The right-handed hitter set rookie records with his prolific power production, and became one of the few watchable aspects of a miserable stretch of Phillies history.
Hoskins was still around when the team became competitive again in 2022, and provided one of the most electrifying moments in Citizens Bank Park history with his NLDS bat spike against the Braves en route to a National League pennant.
The burly Californian was all set to resume his role hitting cleanup behind Bryce Harper for the 2023 season, before a brutal spring training ACL tear ended his season before it began. The team’s epic playoff collapse against the Diamondbacks torpedoed any hopes of Hoskins making an improbable October return, and with that his Phillies tenure was over.
The following offseason saw the Phillies fully commit to playing Harper at first base, effectively boxing out Rhys Hoskins from a place on the roster. Instead, Hoskins signed a two-year, $34 million deal with the Milwaukee Brewers that winter. That pact wasn’t a disaster, but injuries led to Hoskins only appearing in 221 contests in his two years in Milwaukee, posting a decent, if unspectacular, .732 OPS in the process.
Hoskins would've been a great Phillies pickup, especially since he wouldn't have cost anything
This winter has been rather strange for Hoskins, as the 33-year-old clearly still has a great eye at the plate and plenty of pop left in his bat, but did not even receive a major league offer. Harper reportedly lobbied Phillies management to bring back the former star, but Dave Dombrowski opted not to bring in another plodding corner infielder.
Hoskins ultimately settled on a minor league deal with the Guardians that would pay him a measly $1.5 million if he made the Opening Day roster. That has since come to pass, as it was reported on Sunday that Hoskins will break camp with the Guards, serving as a short-side platoon bat at first base and designated hitter.
Phillies fans should have mixed emotions upon hearing this news, as it’s wonderful to see a beloved former Phil earn himself some more money and another shot in the big leagues. However, it’s hard not to see this as another missed opportunity for a front office that has been mired in mediocrity for years at this point.
Coming off of yet another postseason flame out, this time in spectacular fashion to the Dodgers, it was plainly evident that the Phillies’ biggest issue was their feast-or-famine offense. The bats went completely silent in the Division Series last October, and fans everywhere were screaming for reinforcements. The team teased a Bo Bichette acquisition, but when that fell through, they pivoted to overpaying to keep J.T. Realmuto. Ultimately, this winter has brought little in the way of improvements, with reclamation project Adolis García and polarizing rookie Justin Crawford being the biggest newcomers.
The idea of a Hoskins reunion intrigues so many Phillies fans, as well as Harper himself, because Hoskins is exactly what the Phillies need right now. A patient, powerful right-handed bat would do wonders for a lefty-heavy lineup that lacks thump outside of Kyle Schwarber. Sure, the first base and designated hitter spots are spoken for in Harper and Schwarber, but wouldn’t it be nice to have Rhys Hoskins as an overqualified bench bat playing a few times per week? Plus, if either of those stalwarts went down with an injury, he would be the perfect plug-and-play replacement.
If Rhys Hoskins had found himself a decent-sized, multi-year contract this winter, then it would be perfectly understandable why the Phillies passed up on him. He wasn’t the right positional fit at the right time. However, the truth is that Hoskins didn’t find himself a nice cushy deal. In fact, he didn’t find himself even a league-minimum major league pact.
Hoskins had to settle for a zero-risk minor league contract with an invite to spring training. The Phillies could have easily signed him to that same contract, and if they didn’t like what they saw in spring training, would've had the chance to cut him loose without having lost a thing.
Instead of making a smart, cost-effective move with plenty of upside, Dombrowski remained rigid and inflexible, and the Phillies are worse off for it on the field. Even worse, he deprived a rabid fanbase of one more reason to cheer for a team that has grown increasingly stale over the past few years.