3 more Philadelphia Phillies who won't be back in 2024

Jake Cave doesn't have a role with the Phillies in 2023

Jake Cave made the Phillies MLB roster in a corner outfield spot, which was a surprise given he wasn't really in the conversation until late March. Yet, Cave played quite well when no one was watching. But that's part of the problem. When Cave gets regular at-bats for a winning MLB team, it doesn't tend to go as well. Cave slashed just .212/.272/.348. and struck out in over a quarter of his at bats. He just wasn't good enough for the Phils this year, and was relegated to the bench for a reason.

Perhaps it's ironic, then, that Cave made the last out of the Phillies Game 7 NLCS defeat to the Diamondbacks. Cave has just one arbitration year left on his deal, and it's unclear how much he'll make. If there's one thing I've learned about players in arbitration, it's to expect the unexpected. That's doubly true when that player is over 30 years old.

Unless Cave is willing to accept an assignment to the minors or an outright minor-league deal, it'd be surprising to see him at Citizens Bank Park again next season.