Aaron Nola and Rhys Hoskins have been Phillies fixtures, but it's possible 2023 could mark the final season in Philadelphia for one or both players.
Nola and Hoskins are set to become free agents after this season. Neither player seems close to an extension with the team, and seeing as most players don’t like negotiating contracts into the season, it’s highly likely they hit the market in November.
Nola has been a solid, top of the rotation starter for years now. If there’s anything we’ve learned from recent World Series winners, it’s that high-end talent throughout the rotation is imperative.
Whether the Phillies are able to retain him obviously remains to be seen, but Dave Dombrowski told the 94WIP Morning Show that the team wants him back.
“We love Aaron, we’ve said that we’d love to have him back, be in (that) position," Dombrowski said. "But it’s a situation where if you don’t have a deal, that means you just haven’t been able to come up with a mutual agreement that you hope still takes place.
The situation with Hoskins is a little different. Although he’s still a plenty valuable player, he might ultimately become a luxury instead of an indispensable part of the roster. Hoskins will be the everyday first baseman this season, but Darick Hall showed promise last year, and Alec Bohm can also play first.
Hoskins can play the outfield, but that’s also an area of depth, especially when Bryce Harper is healthy.
And while Dombrowski was plenty complimentary of Hoskins, he hardly sounded like someone who would go to great lengths to keep him.
“Love (Hoskins). Absolutely think he’s tremendous. He’s done so much for us, we love him as a person,” Dombrowski said. “I think we’re just in a position right now, we’ll probably look at this and just continue to analyze the situation. I think it’s like with Aaron and Rhys both, that if you don’t have a deal before Opening Day, it doesn’t mean that they’re free agents. You still have a chance to sign them at the end of the year.
“But in this situation, Rhys’, I think when you look at us, you’ve got (Kyle) Schwarber, you’ve got Harper, you’ve got (Nick) Castellanos, you’ve got Bohm, you’ve got Rhys, you’ve got Darik Hall. So I think it’s a situation where, love him, think the world of him, I think he’s going to have a big year, but I think we’ll just kind of sit and see where that turns out.”
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