With the Philadelphia Phillies less than a week from opening the season at home versus the rival Atlanta Braves on March 28, attention is starting to shift from reading spring training box scores to speculation of who will be the Opening Day closer when the Phillies take the field for the first game of the 2024 season.
The Phillies’ offseason was marked by the excruciatingly slow-to-develop free agent market, and while the team made a notable addition at the beginning of spring training when Whit Merrifield agreed to a one-year, $7 million deal with a 2025 club option, this past Hot Stove season is also notable for two players who won’t be back with the Phillies in 2024. We’re talking about Rhys Hoskins and Craig Kimbrel.
The loss of Hoskins tugged at the heartstrings of Phillies fans. The homegrown slugger was shown the door when the team announced that Bryce Harper would become the everyday first baseman going forward, and Hoskins was forced to test the waters of free agency. Ultimately signing with the Milwaukee Brewers on a two-year, $34 million deal, Hoskins will return to a hero’s welcome when the Phillies take on the Brewers for a three-game series June 3-6 at Citizens Bank Park.
While the subtraction of Hoskins still hurts for some Phillies fans, the departure of former closer and playoff scapegoat Craig Kimbrel was not met with the same level of sadness. After costing the Phillies the opportunity to appear in their second straight World Series after a number of shambolic meltdowns in relief against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLCS last October, Kimbrel was allowed to walk in free agency. He signed a one-year, $13 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles in December.
