The Phillies have tendered a contract to first baseman Rhys Hoskins, the team announced. He will return for his fourth full season in a Phillies uniform. The two sides did not agree to a one-year deal before the 8 pm non-tender deadline on Wednesday. Hoskins and the Phillies have a little more than two months to agree to a 2021 salary. If the two sides can’t agree on a deal, the team and Hoskins will go to arbitration sometime in February.
All other players who were arbitration-eligible signed a one-year contract, including catcher Andrew Knapp, RHP Seranthony Dominguez, RHP Héctor Neris, RHP David Hale and RHP Zach Eflin. RHP Vince Velasquez has also been tendered a contract for the 2021 season.
Hoskins, 27, is eligible for salary arbitration for the first time in his career. He’ll certainly get a pay raise from the league-minimum $224,074 pro-rated salary he made in 2020. MLB Trade Rumors projects Hoskins to make between $3.4 million and $5.5 million in 2021. He is a Scott Boras client.
The Phillies first baseman bounced back in 2020, slashing .245/.384/.503 with 10 home runs and 26 RBIs in 41 games. He suffered a UCL injury to his non-throwing elbow on Sept. 12 against the Marlins that ended his season. He underwent UCL repair surgery on Oct. 3 and is expected to return before Opening Day in 2021.
Per Salisbury, Eflin signed for $4.45 million in his second year of arbitration and Neris signed for $5 million in his final year of eligibility. Bob Nightengale of USA Today first reported that Knapp and the Phillies agreed to a $1.1 million deal. Dominguez, who was eligible for arbitration for the first time in his career, agreed to a one-year, $727,500 deal with the Phillies, per Mark Feinsend of MLB.com. Jon Heyman of RADIO.COM reports that Hale’s 2021 salary is $850,000.
All other players on the active roster who have less than three years of service time and are only eligible for the league-minimum salary, have also been offered contracts in 2021.