Phillies avoid arbitration with 2 players, tender contracts to Alec Bohm and 4 more

Before the MLB non-tender deadline passed on Friday, news filtered out throughout the afternoon about one of the higher-profile of the Philadelphia Phillies' arbitration-eligible players. However, we had to wait for the 8 p.m. ET deadline to get the bulk of the details.

The early news included outfielder Austin Hays being non-tendered, first reported by MLB insider Jon Heyman. That news wasn't really surprising, as Hays struggled to gain any traction after the trade deadline, battling two IL stints.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski announced the Hays non-tender and the rest of the team's moves after the 8 p.m. deadline.

Phillies avoid arbitration with 2 players, tender contracts to Alec Bohm and 4 more

In addition to non-tendering Hays, the Phillies agreed to contracts with right-hander José Ruiz and backup catcher Garrett Stubbs. They also tendered contracts to infielders Alec Bohm, Edmundo Sosa and Bryson Stott, outfielder Brandon Marsh and left-hander Ranger Suárez.

Ruiz settled at a $1.225 million contract for 2025, per FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray, avoiding arbitration. Ruiz earned $800K in 2024 and has one more year of arbitration in 2026 before becoming a free agent. He also has a $20K bonus for 30 games pitched and a $25K bonus for 40 games pitched.

Ruiz was a huge surprise this season, in a good way. After being signed to a minor league deal last offseason, the right-hander had his contract selected to the 26-man roster in early May. He got off to a shaky start but put together a solid second half in the Phillies bullpen.

In 22 2/3 second-half innings, Ruiz posted a 1.99 ERA and 1.19 WHIP and held opposing batters to a .205 batting average with a 28.7 percent strikeout rate. The 30-year-old even pitched in some high-leverage situations late in the season, holding opponents to a .143/.188/.214 slash line, punching out five of 16 batters in those spots. In 51 total innings for the Phillies, Ruiz posted a 3.71 ERA and 1.33 WHIP.

Backup catcher Garrett Stubbs appeared to be on the non-tender bubble leading up to the deadline. Stubbs earned $850K in 2024 and was projected to earn $1.2 million in arbitration this offseason. With the Phillies wanting to reduce star catcher J.T. Realmuto's playing time, according to manager Rob Thomson, to save some wear and tear, the backup role is a little murky heading into 2025.

The 31-year-old Stubbs slashed just .207/.296/.262 in 187 plate appearances in 2024, with one home run, 11 RBI, 18 runs scored and five steals. In three seasons as the Phillies' second-string catcher, he has a .215/.294/.311 slash line with seven home runs, 45 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 520 plate appearances over 198 games.

Even with Stubbs, who has one MiLB option remaining, still in the fold for now, there's a good chance that the Phillies start him in Triple-A Lehigh Valley next season. There are thoughts that the Phillies want to see what the injury-prone Rafael Marchán can do in an extended look. Marchán no doubt has a better bat and put together a solid audition this past season, with a small 17-game sample with Realmuto on the shelf. Marchán is out of options, however, so Stubbs would be the next man up if anything were to go sideways.

Phillies tender contracts to Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott, Edmundo Sosa, Brandon Marsh and Ranger Suárez

Alec Bohm, 28, had the first All-Star season of his career in 2024, after a scorching first-half performance that saw the third baseman lead the Phillies offense. Bohm hit .295 with an .830 OPS in the first half, and was a doubles machine, counting 33 of his 44 on the season.

A slower second half was brought to a screeching halt by a hand strain that forced him out of the lineup for two weeks. He struggled to a .170/.204/.298 slash line over his 12 games and didn't do himself any favors with his attitude, reportedly leading to his Game 2 benching during the NLDS. Overall, he slashed .280/.332/.448 with 15 home runs and tied his career-high with 97 RBI.

Bohm has been a big focus of the Phillies' offseason rumor mill, with rumors that he's on the trade block furiously swirling and the team doing nothing to quash that speculation. With a projected $8.1 million 2025 arbitration salary, Bohm and his raise from $4 million in 2024 could be on the move this offseason before the two sides even get to arbitration.

The 2024 season saw Bryson Stott take a step back from the presumed trajectory he was on after a stellar 2023 campaign. The 27-year-old second baseman slashed .245/.315/.356 in his third MLB season, down from his 2023 breakout line of .280/.329/.419. He hit 11 home runs, drove in 57 RBI and led the team on the basepaths with 32 steals in 571 plate appearances over 148 games.

Stott's downfall was the dreaded lefty-lefty matchup. He struggled to get much going against left-handed pitching this past year, batting .223 in 129 plate appearances. Stott fell into a semi-platoon situation with Edmundo Sosa by the end of the season.

Stott made $768K in 2024 and is projected for a nice rise through arbitration to $3.5 million for 2025. He still has another two years of arbitration eligibility left through 2027 before becoming a free agent for the 2028 season.

The 28-year-old Edmundo Sosa appeared in 90 games for the Phillies, most of those during Trea Turner's six-week stay on the IL. The defensively sound utility infielder slashed .257/.313/.422 in 247 plate appearances, with seven home runs, 31 RBI and seven stolen bases.

Thanks to an impressive .284/.347/.514 slash line against left-handed pitching, Sosa managed to earn extra playing time at second base in a quasi-platoon with Bryson Stott.

Outfielder Brandon Marsh, like Stott, couldn't make an impact at the plate against left-handed pitching in 2024. The Phillies were hoping that he would be able to become a full-time player this past season, but he hit just .192 in 90 plate appearances against southpaws.

In his second full season with the Phillies since coming over at the 2022 trade deadline, the soon-to-be 27-year-old Marsh slashed .249/.328.419 in 476 plate appearances over 135 games. He chipped in 16 home runs, 60 RBI, scored 55 times and stole 19 bases.

After earning $766.5K in 2024, Marsh projects to earn $3 million in arbitration.

Starting pitcher Ranger Suárez put together an incredible Cy Young-worthy first half for the Phillies before stumbling in the second half. The left-hander's final season-long numbers look good; he went 12-8 with a 3.46 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 150 2/3 innings over 27 starts. However, his inconsistency down the stretch might give the Phillies pause.

After posting a 1.83 ERA through his first 11 starts, Suárez ran into problems at the end of June. Suffering from back issues, he posted a 6.54 ERA the rest of the way around a month-long stay on the IL. In parts of seven seasons with the Phillies since making his debut in 2018, Suárez now has a 41-29 record, with a 3.42 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 161 games (93 starts).

Suárez avoided arbitration last winter, agreeing to a $5.05 million contract. His projected arbitration salary for 2025 is $8.9 million, a nice $3.85 million increase for the homegrown Phillies product.

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