PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 03: Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Kyle Schwarber (12) celebrates with teammate Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins (17) after hitting a home run during the Major League Baseball game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Angels on June 3, 2022 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire)
Ex-Phillies Slugger Linked to Division Rivals in Free Agency
After Bryce Harper moved to first base during 2023 and played the position at a high-level, writing was on the wall that the Philadelphia Phillies might move on from Rhys Hoskins following the year.
Hoskins was scheduled to hit free agency in 2024 and a torn ACL in spring training prevented him from playing a single game last season.
That put a damper on his market value. There was a thought that the Phillies might actually be able to re-sign him to a team friendly deal because of that.
However, Dave Dombrowski announced that Harper would be the first baseman for Philadelphia going forward. He said that Hoskins understood the decision and took it well.
So, with their former slugger expected to be in a different uniform next season, Andy McCullough of The Athletic predicts that Hoskins will go to the Phillies’ division rival Washington Nationals.
“The Nationals are well-positioned to offer Hoskins a pillow contract to springboard him back into the market if he can demonstrate good health and renewed success in 2024. The team could also use a veteran to provide ballast for its youthful lineup,” he writes.
It makes sense for both parties.
Hoskins needs to have playing time to increase his value going forward and the Nationals would like to get more talent onto their roster.
He has a career slash line of .242/.353/.492 across his six seasons in the MLB. He’s hit 148 home runs and 405 RBI.
With the Phillies expected to let Hoskins walk, they might have to see their second-longest tenured player suit up for their division rivals in Washington.
