Three former fan favorites of the Phillies are still unemployed as spring training approaches.
For fans and half of the free agent market, the Hot Stove season has been slow to start. Numerous baseball insiders anticipated that after Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed with a team, free agent deals would begin to flow like crazy.
To describe the current offseason as slow would be a vast understatement. With less than a month until spring training starts, most fan bases and teams outside of the Los Angeles Dodgers are frustrated by the glacial pace of free agent signings. Nevertheless, a number of elite players are still available to worthy homes—at the appropriate cost.
A few former Philadelphia Phillies standouts are among the unemployed this offseason. Let’s examine how three prominent former Phillies players are faring in free agency.
Neris Héctor
Wearing red and white pinstripes, old friend Héctor Neris pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies for eight seasons, adding versatility to the bullpen. Neris was the Phillies closer for a few seasons, with 405 regular season appearances, 3.42 ERA, and 84 saves.
After the 2021 season, Neris signed a free agent contract with the Houston Astros after departing the Phillies. Neris settled in Houston, where he developed into a dependable weapon for the Astros bullpen, which is now a perennial favorite to win the pennant. Neris had arguably his best two seasons ever during his two years with the team, finishing 141 games with a 2.69 ERA, five saves, and a record of 12-7.
Rumors about Héctor Neris have surfaced periodically during the offseason. The teams that have shown the greatest interest in Neris are the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees. Héctor Gómez, a baseball insider, tweeted recently that Neris is seeking a $50 million three-year contract from a ballclub.
Phillies Rumor: During Spring Training, Zack Wheeler will likely be extended by the Phillies
Spring Training for the Philadelphia Phillies is just one month away, and the team’s recent offseason actions have drawn a lot of attention, or lack thereof. Will the Phillies finally create a stir in the coming weeks with so many elite free agents still available?
The Phillies haven’t exactly been frugal with their cash during this protracted Hot Stove season. Aaron Nola was re-signed by the team in November for a seven-year, $172 million contract. Rob Thomson, the manager of the Phillies, was also extended through the 2025 season during the December MLB Winter Meetings.
Due to recent remarks made by a well-known baseball insider, there has been renewed discussion about a contract extension for Zack Wheeler, even though we still have to wait and see if the Phillies make any free agent moves this offseason.
Ken Rosenthal thinks Zack Wheeler will be extended by the Phillies during spring training.
When baseball insider Ken Rosenthal recently appeared as a guest on the Foul Territory podcast, podcast co-host and former major league catcher Eric Kratz asked Rosenthal if the Phillies and Atlanta Braves would be open to trading starting pitchers Zack Wheeler and Max Fried in order to create space for a free agent signing, such as Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery.
“I don’t see it,” Rosenthal answered. Not every pitcher or player can succeed in Philadelphia, but Wheeler has been successful there, so the Phillies want to extend him. Thus, the Phillies [are] obviously signaling that they want to extend Wheeler, and I anticipate that will happen during spring training.”
There have previously been discussions about a Zack Wheeler extension during this offseason. Although there have been talks between the team and the player, nothing was deemed close at the time, according to a November report from Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.
Wheeler is currently ranked as Major League Baseball’s sixth-best starting pitcher by MLB Network. In 32 starts in 2023, the right-hander finished 13-6 with a 3.61 ERA and 1.08 WHIP.
It would be shocking if a Wheeler extension isn’t completed before Opening Day, as there are now several reports a few months apart.
