MLB Trade Rumors has come out with its annual salary arbitration projections, which includes figures for eight Phillies.
MLBTR points out that these figures are in no way meant to be used in negotiations by teams, players or agents in negotiations, and that many of the final agreed-upon salaries will likely end up above or below these estimates when teams and players settle before heading to arbitration.
That said, the projections are valuable for estimating the ballpark of what players might earn in 2024, so here’s what the algorithm — based on playing time, position, role, performance and inflation — spat out for a few Phillies.
Gregory Soto — $4.9 million
The Phillies did not get what they hoped for out of Soto in 2023. That said, Soto’s track record as an All-Star the previous two seasons before his January trade to Philadelphia should serve as a reason for optimism.
Ranger Suárez — $4.7 million
Suárez had an up-and-down regular season with the Phillies this year, but was mostly solid in the postseason once again. He’s entering his second of three arbitration-eligible years; he made just under $3 million in 2023.
Alec Bohm — $4.3 million
It’s hard to know what to make of Bohm. The now-27-year-old took a moderate step offensively this year, hitting .274 with 20 homers, but went ice cold in October. 2024 will figure to be a make-or-break season for Bohm in his first year of arbitration.
Jeff Hoffman — $2.1 million
Hoffman had a career year with the Phillies in 2023, posting a 2.43 ERA across 59 1/3 total innings while striking out nearly 12 batters per nine innings. It made him a good candidate for an offseason extension.
Edmundo Sosa — $1.7 million
It’s fair to say Sosa’s bat regressed to the mean in 2023, though .251 with a .719 OPS certainly wasn’t unserviceable in his bench role. Bizarrely, his glove was arguably his weakness in a career-worst year defensively.
Jake Cave — $1.4 million
Months after he lit Spring Training on fire, the Phillies’ season ended in Game 7 with Cave at the plate. In between were 203 regular-season plate appearances across 65 games, slashing .212/.272/.348.
Dylan Covey — $1 million
Covey was the butt of many jokes after a dreadful second appearance with the Phillies in May, but when you looked up after the regular season, he had a quiet 3.69 ERA — 2.70 after that game. At the very least, that’ll help him in his first year of arbitration eligibility.
Garrett Stubbs — $900,000
Stubbs’ bat certainly regressed to the mean after a strong 2022 season, hitting .204 with a .557 OPS across a slightly larger sample this year. The Phillies might take the adequate defense and clubhouse presence, though, in Stubbs’ first year of arbitration eligibility.