For the Philadelphia Phillies, there have been many key players that have helped the ballclub in their success for the 2023 season. In doing so, it has propelled the team into making the playoffs, and hopefully a corresponding deep run to the World Series.
However, there have been a few that haven’t lived up to expectations, and will most likely be gone from the team following the playoffs. Here, we take a look at five Phillies players that will probably no longer see time with the ballclub beyond this season.
Gregory Soto
For someone that has failed to meet expectations by a considerable margin, reliever Gregory Soto definitely falls into that category. As one would recall, Soto was acquired from the Detroit Tigers along with Kody Clemens for Matt Vierling, Nick Maton, and Donny Sands at the beginning of the year. Soto had been one of baseball’s top closers the previous couple of seasons, despite playing on a struggling Tigers team. With his filthy stuff, he was expected to help anchor the back end of the Phillies’ bullpen along with Seranthony Domínguez, José Alvarado, and Craig Kimbrel.
However, Soto has been a major disappointment for the Phillies this season, especially since the trade deadline, as he has accumulated only seven holds with two blown saves with a gaudy 5.68 ERA in 22 appearances during that stretch. For the season, Soto has compiled a record of 3-4 with a bloated 4.70 ERA, 1.163 WHIP, with 63 strikeouts in 59.1 innings pitched.
With the emergence of strong and dependable arms in Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strahm, along with the upcoming free agent market being loaded with high quality relievers that could be there for the taking, Soto looks to be expendable for the Phillies at the conclusion of the MLB playoffs.