Are The Phillies Moving On From Rhys Hoskins?
It sure does sound like Rhys Hoskins has already played his final game for the Philadelphia Phillies. Hoskins tore his ACL and missed the entire 2023 MLB Season. It appears the organization has made long term plans without him on the team.
It’s already been reported that Bryce Harper will now move exclusively to first base. Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber already share DH duties. This is no place on the roster if Harper is the new full time first baseman. It’s hard to imagine Hoskins back in Philadelphia.
Hoskins, 30, is the longest-tenured position player on the Phillies roster. That title is going to go to someone else in 2024. Hoskins will hit free agency this Winter and Philadelphia already has a pretty high payroll. Paying Hoskins to be a backup first baseman doesn’t really make a ton of sense. Especially when you consider the fact that they have to re-sign Aaron Nola, who has also indicated he wants to return.
Hoskins didn’t receive a qualifying offer this Winter either. Philly won’t receive draft pick compensation for losing Hoskins on the open market.
During Hoskins’ career with Philadelphia, he slashed 148 home runs while sporting a batting line of .242/.353/.492. Hoskins when right can provide any lineup with power. He’s not a strikeout king either. Hoskins has a career 24% strikeout rate. It’s not ideal but it’s not nearly as bad as someone like Joey Gallo who fits that some sort of power hitter mold.
Teams should be interested in Hoskins on the open market. It’s a matter of how much he’s going to end up costing. For what it’s worth, Hoskins played college ball at Sacramento State and could look to return to the West Coast.
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