Option 2. Phillies replace Rhys Hoskins by exploring an outside trade.
Another option for the Phillies' front office to replace Hoskins is exploring a trade for an outside player. Regardless, none would come close to the contributions that Hoskins would have provided early on in the season.
Pat Egan tweeted a list of five first basemen the Phillies can look to acquire — Jesús Aguilar from the Oakland A’s, Ji-Man Choi from the Pittsburgh Pirates, Garrett Cooper from the Miami Marlins, C.J. Cron from the Colorado Rockies, and Eric Hosmer from the Chicago Cubs.
A reunion with Darin Ruf may also be in the cards, even with him struggling with the New York Mets so far this spring.
Former Ute CJ Cron with the second longest tracked MLB HR ever(504ft) pic.twitter.com/6GonzScpg0
— Porter Larsen (@Larsen_ESPN) September 10, 2022
Of these options, Cron seems the most appealing. The 33-year-old was named an All-Star for the first time last season. He ended up slugging 29 home runs and 102 RBI. The cost would be significant to land Cron — if he is even available on the trade market — but the Phillies will have to weigh the pros and cons of parting ways with one of their top prospects to stay strong in the standings while Hoskins is out for the season.
On the other hand, it would not take much to re-acquire Ruf from the Mets. The slugger returned from playing overseas and showed promising signs with Gabe Kapler's San Francisco Giants. However, Ruf went homerless in 28 games and 74 plate appearances to finish the 2022 season with the Mets.
It is rare for teams to make trades at this late stage of spring training, so do not hold your breath on Cron or another notable first baseman coming to Philadelphia — at least for now.