3 more Philadelphia Phillies who won't be back in 2024
By Mark Powell
The 2024 Philadelphia Phillies will look much different than the 2023 team, as our own Cody Williams noted in the aftermath of their Game 7 defeat to the Arizona Diamondbacks. No, the Phils are not World Series bound this October, and will instead be dancing on their own, ideally preparing for the GM and Winter Meetings in the months to come.
As Williams mentioned in his piece, there's a good chance Aaron Nola, Michael Lorenzen, Craig Kimbrel and Rhys Hoskins could leave the organization this offseason. Here's a brief case for each:
Hoskins: "Hoskins figures to be a coveted bat this offseason given that there, frankly, aren't a ton of options set to hit the market, at least not at the level that he can provide, particularly with Hoskins' pop. Moreover, with Philadelphia successfully transitioning Bryce Harper to first base, perhaps they're even less willing to commit heavily to Hoskins financially, which make it even more likely he's gone this offseason."
Lorenzen: "Lorenzen's start to the season with Detroit looks more like an outlier than the norm for the right-hander in his career to this point. Though he could be a cheap-ish arm on the free agent market, the Phillies have seen what he has to offer and likely should believe that there is more value elsewhere to be found this offseason to bolster the rotation."
Kimbrel: "Now 35 years old, the clock is likely to strike midnight on Kimbrel with the Phillies as he's set to hit free agency. Despite how valuable he was for much of the regular season, his inconsistency had been a problem in recent years and it reared its head at the worst time for this team."
Nola: "Given widespread reports coming into the season that Nola and the Philadelphia front office weren't close on an extension last offseason, it seems most likely that a truly desperate team like the St. Louis Cardinals might make a play to simply outbid the Phillies for the right-hander."