The Phillies are not extending a qualifying offer to Rhys Hoskins, according to a report from Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Heyman adds that there is a “decent chance” Hoskins could be back with Phillies.
The qualifying offer, which is a one-year, $20.35 million contract for 2024, can be extended to pending free agents. Hoskins would have been an obvious candidate to receive the offer if he was healthy in 2023, but he missed all of last season with a torn ACL.
If Hoskins received the QO and accepted it, he would have been back with the Phillies on that one-year, $20.35 million deal. If he received the QO and rejected it, the Phillies would recoup a draft pick after the fourth round if he signed with another team. Hoskins’ new team would have had to surrender at least one draft pick to sign him, depending on the team’s revenue sharing status and whether or not they will pay the luxury tax in 2023.
Now, Hoskins will hit the market without a qualifying offer attached. Teams in need of a right-handed power bat will be in on Hoskins. This year’s free agent class is short on position player talent, so it will be interesting to see what his market ultimately looks like.
He could receive multi-year offers or he could opt for a one-year prove it deal and hit the market again next season.
There is still a chance Hoskins returns to the Phillies, but much of that depends on Bryce Harper’s willingness to shift between outfield and first base. If Harper is willing to return to the outfield and play first base once or twice a week, the Phillies could bring back Hoskins and shift Harper to first base on days Hoskins DHs or is completely off. Kyle Schwarber can still be the Phillies’ primary designated hitter in this scenario, but he’ll need to spend some time in left field.
Harper hinted at his openness to shift between positions before Game 1 of the NLCS.
“Of course, with Rhys possibly coming back, whatever that determines or whatever happens with that, I expect him to go back to first base and me go to the outfield and play out there in some capacity,” Harper said. “But I don’t mind giving them the option, even if he does come back, if Rhys needs a day off, or giving them the option to put me at first base and them knowing, ‘Hey, we can put him there at any point and he’ll be fine.'”
Harper and Hoskins are both represented by Scott Boras.
Hoskins said after the Phillies’ Game 7 loss to the Diamondbacks in the NLCS that he wants to return to the Phillies.
“I would love to be back here,” Hoskins said. “This is a team that has a ton of fun and we’ve seen that all year long. They’re fun to play with, they’re competitive as hell, and we have a chance to win the World Series here every year with this group. That doesn’t exist around all of baseball and that’s something that’s important to me as a competitor.”
