By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
With just three weeks until Opening Day, the Philadelphia Phillies renewed the contract of 1B/OF Rhys Hoskins on Thursday to $552,500, according to FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman. Hoskins receives a $7,500 raise, as the big league minimum for 2018 is set at $545,000 under the new collective bargaining agreement.
Hoskins was the only Phillies player not able to reach a contract agreement, as the club signed the 31 other pre-arbitration players to deals, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, who adds it is "unclear" how much Hoskins requested.
"I think there was just an agreement to disagree," Hoskins told MLB.com. "There's no hard feelings at all. It's the business of baseball. They reiterated they were completely happy with everything. No, there's no hard feelings at all between either party. It's a business. I get it."
Zolecki writes:
Renewals are relatively common for franchise-type players early in their careers. The Phillies most notably renewed Ryan Howard in 2007 after he won the National League Most Valuable Player Award in 2006 (he received a then-record $900,000 for a player with his service time) and Cole Hamels in 2008 following the team's first of five consecutive NL East titles in 2007. … Both players expressed frustration and disappointment at the time, but none more than Hamels. He called the renewal a "low blow" and indicated he would remember the perceived slight in future negotiations.
Hoskins, who turns 25 on March 17, hit .259/.396/.618 last year in his rookie season with the Phillies. Through 50 games and 212 plate appearances, the Sacramento, California native hit seven doubles, 18 home runs and 48 RBIs.
