As news-starved baseball fans wait for spring training to mercifully begin next month, Thursday was a busy day around Major League Baseball. The league's 1:00 p.m. ET arbitration filing deadline provided a spark of intrigue for Philadelphia Phillies fans.
The Phillies entered Thursday with six arbitration-eligible players and reached agreements with all six of them.
Phillies reach agreements and avoid arbitration with all 6 eligible players
The Phillies players who came to agreements on Thursday include third baseman Alec Bohm, left-handers Jesús Luzardo and Ranger Suárez, outfielder Brandon Marsh, reserve infielder Edmundo Sosa and second baseman Bryson Stott.
The Phillies' first arbitration news broke as the deadline passed, with the team settling with newly acquired left-hander Jesús Luzardo for $6.225 million. News of the remaining agreements trickled out shortly after.
Bohm, 28, who MLB Trade Rumors projected to make $8.1 million in arbitration, settled for $7.7 million, per FanSided's Robert Murray. The team and Bohm avoided a repeat of last winter when Bohm won his arbitration case after the two sides could not bridge a $600K gap.
He proved his worth in 2024, becoming a first-time All-Star at the hot corner. He hit .280 with a .779 OPS, 15 home runs and 97 RBI in 143 games. His final numbers were tempered by a dismal finish to the season that saw him hit just .170 in 12 September games after dealing with a hand injury.
Suárez agreed to an $8.8 million contract, per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. MLB Trade Rumors projected him to earn $8.9 million in arbitration. The 29-year-old Suárez finished the 2024 season 12-8 with a 3.46 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 27 starts.
His season was highlighted by a Cy Young-caliber start, going 9-0 with a 1.36 ERA over his first 10 starts and posting a 2.76 first-half ERA. A back injury derailed his campaign, and he stumbled to the finish line with a 5.65 ERA over eight second-half starts.
Marsh, who's slated to begin the 2025 season as the team's primary center fielder, agreed to a $3 million contract, according to Jon Heyman. The number matches his projected salary. The 27-year-old hit .249 with a .747 OPS in 135 games last year but struggled mightily against left-handed pitching, hitting just .192, limiting his usage.
Sosa, 28, signed for $3 million after projecting to earn $2.5 million through the arbitration process. He'll get a nice raise from his $1.7 million 2024 salary. Sosa played an integral role for the Phillies last season, subbing in for the injured Trea Turner for six weeks. He finished the year batting .257 with a .734 OPS in 274 plate appearances over 90 games.
Stott, 27, settled at $3.2 million after being expected to pull in $3.5 million through arbitration. Stott took a step back in 2024, hitting .245 with a .671 OPS, although there's belief that a previously unannounced elbow injury hampered his ability at the plate most of the season.
Other arbitration-eligible players, reliever José Ruiz ($1.225 million) and backup catcher Garrett Stubbs ($925K), agreed to contracts for 2025 earlier in the offseason.