Phillies Reach Deal With Every Arbitration Eligible Player Except Alec Bohm
There was a litany of Phillies deals made yesterday. Not with free agents, but with guys already on the team. It is that time of the year when teams either reach deals with their arbitration-eligible players, or are forced to move on to the next step. And the Phillies reached a deal with nearly every eligible player. Ranger Suarez, Edmundo Sosa, Gregory Soto, and Jeff Hoffman all agreed to terms with the Phillies. But there was a split between what the Phillies offered Alec Bohm, and what he wanted.
$ 600k feels like a silly amount to bicker over with one of your players. But the Phillies are far from alone in haggling over numbers at the point of the season. Bohm is one of 23 players who could not easily reach a deal with their team and had to exchange numbers like this. Adolis Garcia, Vlad Guerro Jr., Luis Arraez, and Jazz Chisolm Jr. are all in a similar boat.
Because they could not reach a deal before the deadline a hearing will be scheduled, where a panel of arbitrators will hear both sides and decide on a final number. However, the two sides can continue to talk in the interim and reach a deal before the hearing. The hearing would happen in February if needed.
Alec Bohm had his best season since his rookie year in 2023. He hit .274 and even reached 20 HRs on the season. A big milestone for a guy who had heard a lot of criticism for his lack of power to this point in his career. We also saw him take a huge step forward with his glove, something that had been a major issue for him in his first few seasons.
It is his first of 3 arbitration-eligible seasons, and his projected salary was $4.3 million. So above what even Bohm was asking for. The Phillies have taken players to arbitration before, and still eventually signed them long term. The same thing happened with JT Realmuto. There is little reason to worry that this could sour future negotiations.
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6 Phillies Who Could Have Breakout Seasons in 2024
Brandon Marsh
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It is time to unleash Marsh as a full-time player and see if he sinks or swims. He was one of their more consistent hitters last season. But Rob Thomson often sat him vs lefties. Granted his numbers vs lefties left a bit to be desired. But a slash line of .229/.321/.396/.717 was still better than what their platoon options gave them. We saw Thomson give Stott more run against lefties last year, now it is time to end the platoon with Marsh. He earned that chance last year with his production.
The injury may change the timetable on him playing every day. And them signing Whitt Merrifield is likely a sign that at least to start the season, Mars will sit vs lefties. But at some point we need to see what he is capable of.
Cristopher Sanchez
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When Cristopher Sanchez came up to fill in for the Phillies rotation last year, the expectation was that it would be a temporary band-aid until they could find a more long-term solution. But then he actually pitched well. He kept pitching well till the end of the season. To be honest, he was likely their most consistent starter in the 2nd half of the season. Thomson did not give him much of a chance in the playoffs. Just one start with a very short leash. But even in that game he pitched well considering. Now he may be ready to be a real starter for them.
What led to him getting so much better? He seems to have found his command. He was throwing a lot more strikes, and his 30.1% called strike rate was amongst the best in baseball. He also took a lot off of his changeup and added more spin on his slider. He is still throwing the same pitches, but they all got better, and he commanded them better. Which bolds well for it being real progress, and not just blind luck.
Orion Kerkering
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Orion Kerekring was so good in the minors last year, the Phillies were willing to give him a role in the playoffs with pretty much no MLB experience. It did not go very well. Part of that may be his inexperience, but the Phillies also made him throw way too many sliders. But despite his struggles there, he still figures to be a big part of the bullpen this upcoming season. And there is good reason to think he will do very well there.
In 53.2 innings down in the minors, he struck out 79 batters with only 12 walks. He had a 1.512 ERA, and a WHIP of only 0.89. He was filthy. When you watch him pitch, it is easy to see why. His fastball touches 100, and his slider has crazy moment. Kerekering has the stuff to be a closer. That is why MLB Execs recently voted him as the 4th best future closer among all MLB prospects.
Johan Rojas
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Johan Rojas quickly made himself into a fan favorite last season when he came up in August. He played gold glove-caliber defense and was a terror on the basepaths. But we saw in the playoffs that his bat is still a work in progress.
If he can learn to make contact, and just put the ball in play, he has a chance to be a special kind of player. The gold glove thing is not an exaggeration. He finished 14th in Defensive Runs Saved among all Major League players despite only playing 59 games. If he plays a full season, he will absolutely be in the running for the award. That speed pays off on the bases too with 14 steals.
They don’t even need him to be a good hitter. Just be an okay one. Put the ball in play and have a better approach at the plate. In the playoffs, he swung at everything. If he can be more patient, draw some walks, and find ways to get on base, that is all he needs to do. The Phillies have enough pop elsewhere. They just need him to not be a liability at the plate and that will be enough given how great his glove is.
Seranthony Dominguez
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This is more of a bounce-back candidate than a breakout candidate. But expect Dominguez to be much better this year. He was a huge part of their run in 2022. Injuries and fatigue caused him to have a down 2023. Like most relief pitchers, he can be a bit volatile. Only a select few guys are great or even good every season. And in his defense, 2022 was a huge leap in innings pitched after how much time he has missed in his career. Now he should be used to it though. And hopefully, that means we will see him be much closer to his 2022 form.
Mick Abel
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This one is more wishful thinking than based on anything concrete. But despite still not putting together a great season in the minors, scouts sing the praises of Mick Abel, because his stuff could be that good. At 21 it is probably time that his stuff starts to lead to great results though.
He will not be with the team at the start of the year. But there is next to no chance they make it through the season without an injury or two in the rotation. And with Painter recovering from Tommy John, and Griff McGarry imploding after he got to Lehigh Valley last year, it very well may be Mick Abel who gets that chance to make the jump. And like we saw with Rojas last year, a small chance can turn into a spot on the team if you play well enough.
