5 Phillies players who should be gone immediately after the 2023 MLB playoffs
Which Phillies players will most likely be no longer in the ballclub's plans following the postseason?
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.
Michael Lorenzen
Michael Lorenzen was the Phillies’ lone big trade deadline acquisition this year in an attempt to bolster their rotation down the stretch and into the playoffs. He was acquired from the Tigers in exchange for one of their top prospects in second baseman Hao-Yu Lee. Lorenzen had an amazing start with his new ballclub following the trade deadline, going eight innings of six-hit, two-run ball against their divisional rivals the Miami Marlins. He promptly followed that up with an outstanding encore performance with a no-hitter against the Washington Nationals.
However, that was as good as it got, as Lorenzen would go on to struggle for much of the remainder part of the season, so much that he has even lost his job as a starter recently with the ballclub. Perhaps leaving him in for too many pitches from his no-hitter game ultimately has some negative effect on him physically. Since the feat, he has posted a monstrous 8.89 ERA with a .342 opponents batting average, 1.98 WHIP, giving up 27 earned runs including eight home runs, 14 walks and 15 strikeouts in just 27.1 innings of work prior to Thursday's game.
Many had feared the Phillies gave up a big-time prospect for just purely a rental, and in this case, it looks to be more and more heading towards that direction. Nevertheless, Lorenzen will hope to regroup in time to get a spot on the postseason roster, which could also be in doubt at this moment. But one thing is for sure, is that most likely we won’t be seeing him anymore in a Phillies’ uniform at the conclusion of the postseason.
Jake Cave
For Jake Cave, he made his MLB debut with the Minnesota Twins back in 2018 after being a former sixth round draft pick of the New York Yankees. He had a solid productive rookie season with the Twins in which he scored 54 runs, along with pumping out 16 doubles, two triples, 13 home runs and 45 RBI in 91 games that season. However, despite the strong start to his career, he never seemed to be able to achieve full-time starting status during his six-year MLB career.
This season with the Phillies, Cave has continued to serve in a part-time role as an utilityman, manning first base along with the outfield positions. However, with the recent promotion of top outfield prospect Johan Rojas in the Phillies organization, along with the versatility of Cristian Pache, Cave has seen more limited playing time down the stretch.
Overall for the 2023 season, Cave has compiled a .216 batting average, .633 OPS, with 17 runs scored, five home runs, 21 RBI and three stolen bases. With both Rojas and Pache having youth and the potential of more growth on their side, added to the fact that there could be some intriguing options for outfielders including Cody Bellinger in the upcoming free agency, Cave appears to be the odd man out after the end of the current season.
Garrett Stubbs
Garrett Stubbs has been the Phillies’ trusted backup catcher to J.T. Realmuto for the past couple of seasons. He did an admirable job last season despite the limited playing time, as he still managed to hit for a decent average of .264, along with an .812 OPS, 19 runs scored, five home runs and 16 RBI in just 46 games played. With numbers like that, he seemed to be a serviceable and ideal backup for Realmuto.
However, the 2023 season has been quite the disappointment for Stubbs, both at the plate and behind the plate. Defensively, he has committed five errors in just 38 games played, along with a -2 DRS and has thrown out only 19% of the baserunners trying to steal. Offensively, it has been a far cry compared to his 2022 season, as he has only tallied 12 runs scored, one home run, and 11 RBI for a feeble .198 batting average and .550 OPS.
As Realmuto begins to age, the Phillies will need to give him more rest from the catching position. In doing so, the backup catcher will essentially play a bigger role on the team in the coming years. If that is indeed the case, the Phillies should look for a more ideal candidate to take on the increased role following the end of the 2023 season.
Aaron Nola
This could be the most surprising name in the list, but here we have the Phillies veteran ace Aaron Nola. The former first round pick of the Phillies back in the 2014 MLB Draft, Nola has been everything the Phillies asked for, as he has helped anchor the starting rotation for almost the past decade. He has been reliable and consistent for the bulk of his tenure with the ballclub, and was even a former All-Star and Cy Young finalist during his stellar 2018 campaign.
However, for the 2023 season, Nola has wavered quite a bit from his consistency and has had an up and down year for the Phillies. Counted upon by the team to deliver some quality starts throughout the season, he has fluctuated between stellar starts and stinkers for much of the year. In doing so, he has still posted a solid 12-9 record with a 4.46 ERA and 1.15 WHIP, but he constantly ran into trouble with the long ball all season, giving up 32 home runs in his 32 starts.
At the beginning of the season, Nola turned down a huge extension offer by the Phillies that was believed to be worth more than $100 million. Therefore, it is most likely that he intends to explore the free agent market to see how much more he could potentially get. With certain red flags already being raised from his game this year, along with the fact that he probably wants to get paid with a long-term contract as well, Nola is probably good as gone when the postseason finishes up, as he may not be worth the amount of money for the term he is adamantly looking for.