3 pending Phillies free agents who should be brought back, 1 who should not
Who should the Phillies bring back for the 2024 season to help sustain their recent successful run and who should they move on from?
So far for the 2023 season, the Philadelphia Phillies have done well enough to keep themselves in the thick of things as they currently sit comfortably in the first Wild Card spot in the NL playoff race. Their success this year has been led in large part by a number of key players on the ballclub.
Looking ahead to the end of the current season, the Phillies will have four members of their roster entering free agency. It will be vital for the Phillies to maintain their success by keeping the ones that could help the ballclub the most right now and in the near future.
Here, we take a closer look at which Phillies’ pending free agents should be brought back to continue their winning ways with the team and which free agents they should move on from.
3 pending free agents to bring back
Michael Lorenzen
He may have only joined the Phillies for less than a month’s time, but Michael Lorenzen has already been a part of their history books. Acquired from the Detroit Tigers at the trade deadline in exchange for top infielder prospect Hao-Yu Lee, Lorenzen has already made his mark by pitching a no-hitter against the Washington Nationals in just his second start with the ballclub. For the season, split between the Tigers and the Phillies, he has posted a 7-8 record with a 3.69 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, giving up 54 earned runs, 36 walks and 98 strikeouts in 131.2 innings pitched.
Lorenzen may have struggled in his past two starts since the no-hitter, but for most of his career, he has maintained an ERA close to four all while pitching to contact. Even though he was probably acquired mainly as a rental for the postseason run, as a mid-tiered starter, he would actually fit in well for the Phillies’ back end of the rotation if they choose to keep him beyond 2023. He also wouldn’t command as much as some of the prime free agent starters hitting the market at the end of the season, including one mentioned later in this list. In addition, it would make the loss of Lee that much more palatable. Depending how he plays out in the coming weeks, Lorenzen may be worth a shot to retain to help the ballclub for the foreseeable future.
Rhys Hoskins
For Rhys Hoskins, it has certainly been an unfortunate year for him as he went down early in Spring Training after suffering a season-ending ACL tear while fielding a ground ball. Hoskins had been the Phillies’ mainstay at first base for the past few years, along with being one of their most consistent power-hitting, run-producer in the top and middle part of their lineup. Throughout his career, he could always be relied upon to provide, on average, a prolific offensive output of 30 doubles, 30 home runs and 80 RBI per season.
Despite being ruled out for the regular season, Hoskins has actually worked hard to give himself a chance to come back during the postseason if the Phillies make it there. He has travelled with the team, along with working out with his teammates in preparation for the playoffs, which now appears highly likely from where the Phillies currently stand. That’s how determined and devoted he was to the ballclub in helping them to succeed and win.
For someone who is definitely part of the heart and soul of the ballclub, it would be cruel for the Phillies to not bring him back after the 2023 season after what he has gone through this year, along with what he has accomplished with the ballclub for his entire career. It would make the most sense to work out a short one-year deal to see how he does coming back from ACL surgery and give him all the opportunity to perform at his best once he is back to 100% health. Knowing Hoskins, he will be sure to make the most of it and prove to the Phillies once again that he has plenty left in the tank for the coming years and beyond.
Craig Kimbrel
Arguably one of the best players on the team this year, Craig Kimbrel has been money for the Phillies as their closer for 2023. Signed to a one-year, $10 million deal during the 2022-23 offseason, the Phillies were hoping Kimbrel could regain his dominant All-Star form seen prior to 2019. For someone that was entering the ripe age of 35 this year and showing obvious signs of regression in three of the past four seasons, many were worried whether he had already begun his downfall for his career. However, their gamble has certainly paid off, as he has become one of the most important bullpen cogs on the team this year.
For the 2023 season, Kimbrel has posted an impressive 7-4 record, along with a 3.21 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, .174 opponents batting average, giving up 20 earned runs, 21 walks and 74 strikeouts in just 56 innings pitched. More importantly, the nine-time All-Star has converted 20 of 22 save opportunities to help the Phillies lock down many key victories during the season.
For what he has done and accomplished for the ballclub this year, it is a no-brainer that the Phillies should try their best to re-sign Kimbrel to a short-term deal as he heads into the twilight of his career. Together with José Alvarado and Seranthony Domínguez, they would form a three-headed monster for the Phillies’ back end of the bullpen in closing out games for the near future, thus likely extending the team’s window to contend for at least another couple of years. It’s often very hard to find a hard-throwing, reliable closer nowadays. So with the Phillies already in possession of a valuable one, they should lock him down as soon as possible.
One pending free agent to let go
Aaron Nola
A veteran, dependable pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies for the past nine years, Aaron Nola has definitely been through all the ups and downs with the ballclub in the past decade. The former first round pick of the Phillies from the 2014 MLB Draft has been a key part of the Phillies starting rotation ever since his debut with the ballclub back in 2015. Nola was one of the most consistent and reliable pitchers for the team over the years, including a stellar 2018 campaign in which he finished third in the NL Cy Young voting.
Overall for his career, Nola has compiled a solid 90-70 record with a 3.69 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, along with 1554 strikeouts in 1395.2 innings pitched in 230 games started. With such a solid track record, one would think that it should be automatic to resign him to a long-term deal. However, his current 2023 season has been one of his worst seasons of his career with the ballclub.
Despite holding a winning record of 12-8, Nola has not been his consistent self all year as he has been hit hard at times throughout the season. He has posted an unremarkable 4.30 ERA along with a respectable 1.12 WHIP. But much more worrisome was the fact that he has given up 80 earned runs already along with a league-leading 29 home runs, with still another five weeks to play.
Earlier in the season, the Phillies tried to work out an extension with Nola in which the multi-year contract was said to be worth more than $100 million. However, Nola turned down the offer, looking for potentially a bigger payday at the end of the 2023 season. The fact that he has been underperforming so far for the Phillies this year, while appearing to be trending downwards in his effectiveness at the same time, it may be to the Phillies’ best interest to move on from Nola, as he may not be able to perform up to the standards of the contract that he may be looking for. Nevertheless, the Phillies should thank him for all the years he has helped the ballclub and wish him all the best in his future endeavours.