The Philadelphia Phillies will attempt to reload in 2024 after a disappointing exit from the 2023 playoffs. Fortunately for the Phillies, most of their roster is under contract through 2024. The starting lineup that we saw in the postseason could very easily be what we see on Opening Day, and with Zack Wheeler under contract through next season Philadelphia could have their Opening Day starter too.
While most of this roster will stay the same, there are still some major free agents that could be out the door in a matter of weeks. Some because of the price tag, others because there are simply better options for the Phillies.
Here's where the four major Phillies free agents will sign this offseason and for how much.
Michael Lorenzen
The big trade the Phillies made at the trade deadline netted them Michael Lorenzen from the Tigers. The 31-year-old was supposed to provide a boost to a rotation that was pretty top-heavy. His first two starts went about as well as Philadelphia could've envisioned with Lorenzen even tossing a no-hitter in his home debut. After that, things went completely downhill.
Lorenzen pitched so poorly over the next month to the point where he was removed from the rotation entirely. He'd pitch out of the bullpen the rest of the way in low-leverage spots when the Phillies didn't want to burn anyone else. He made just two appearances all postseason and was clearly not part of the plan whatsoever.
With Lorenzen's tenure in Philadelphia ending so poorly, chances are he's going to walk this offseason. A match that makes sense is the team that knocked the Phillies out of the postseason, the Arizona Diamondbacks.
As we saw in that series the Diamondbacks were set with their first three starters. Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly are one of the best starting pitching duos in the league, and Brandon Pfaadt burst onto the scene in October. Their problem was they had no fourth or fifth starter and had to resort to a bullpen game in Game 4 of both the Phillies series and the World Series. Adding Lorenzen gives them that fourth starter for not a ton of money.
Prediction: Diamondbacks - Two years, $25 million with an opt-out after the first year