Phillies do not extend qualifying offer to first baseman

The Phillies will extend a $20.325M qualifying offer to right-hander Aaron Nola but not to first baseman Rhys Hoskins, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. After signing, the team announced.

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Hoskins, 30, was an interesting borderline case for a QO. On the one hand, he had slugged 148 home runs in his career and slashed .242/.353/.492 for a wRC+ of 126.

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But he then missed the entire 2023 season after tearing his left ACL in Spring Training. That could have been a tricky decision for the Phils but it seems they have opted against giving Hoskins the QO, seemingly expecting that he would have accepted it.

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That would have been logical from his point of view, returning to a familiar environment while hoping for a bounce-back campaign.

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The Phils also have some flexibility now that Bryce Harper got playing time at first base in 2023 as he recovered from Tommy John surgery and couldn’t play the outfield.

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This only helps Hoskins out as a free agent, since receiving a QO has a negative effect on a player’s earning power.

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Being saddled with draft pick forfeiture will cause some clubs to lower how much they are willing to spend on a given player while some others will steer clear of such players completely.

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