Bidding War Erupts: Phillies Free Agent Draws Wide Interest, Complicating…

The Philadelphia Phillies should already have a plan for Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez. While keeping both would be the best outcome, it might not be realistic, so the club has to be ready to at least keep one of them around.

It’ll be interesting to see which way they go if they have a choice, as Estevez has closer experience. Conversely, Hoffman was lights out for much of the campaign and has been with the Phillies longer than the right-hander they landed during the trade deadline.

Regarding Hoffman and Estevez, there will be multiple suitors in play for their services.

Hoffman, however, is the definition of a pitcher every contending team in baseball will want. He isn’t expected to be too expensive, and he’s already proven he could pitch in a massive city with high expectations during his time in Philadelphia.

His suitors will be large, and some may even view him as a closer, as he has some experience doing so. If he were a full-time closer, his price would likely be higher, but a club might view him as one moving forward.

That’s why R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports wrote that every contending team is a suitor for the right-hander.

“Hoffman spent two seasons with the Phillies, during which he morphed into an elite reliever. The damage: a 184 ERA+ and a 4.51 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 122 appearances. He throws four pitches but he really leans on two in particular: his swing-and-miss slider (the only pitch in his arsenal that goes glove side) and his mid-to-upper-90s heater. (He’ll also chuck a splitter and a sinker.) Hoffman generates an elite amount of whiffs and chases, and he has greatly improved his control since his starter days. The only thing separating him from a 30-save season is opportunity. It’s coming”.

Hoffman being as good as he is doesn’t help the Phillies’ case, but it’s still a real possibility that he’ll return to the squad.

It wouldn’t make sense to let both players walk unless they found clear replacements for them. While there are a few high-end relievers on the market, it’d almost be impossible to have similar production of the two without breaking the bank.

Hoffman is believed to be in the $30 million range, so that shouldn’t be something Philadelphia isn’t content with spending.

However, as Anderson alluded, there will be suitors, and that often isn’t a good thing.