The Philadelphia Phillies will have some decisions to make within the next two-or-so weeks.

Now that the Los Angeles Dodgers have won the 2024 World Series and claimed the Commissioner’s Trophy, Major League Baseball’s “hot stove” season is officially here. Current clubs will have an opportunity to exclusively negotiate with their own free agents in the five days following the World Series. 

For the Phillies, the list of pending free agents is short. It’s three, in fact. But, all three pending free agents are, or at some point in the 2024 MLB regular season, were integral parts of the Phillies bullpen. The Phillies free agents are reliever Carlos Estevez, All-Star reliever Jeff Hoffman, and swingman Spencer Turnbull. 

Here’s a case for each as MLB free agency approaches in the coming weeks.

Making a Case For….

Carlos Estevez

Carlos Estevez didn’t pitch poorly for the Phillies after being acquired from the Los Angeles Angels during the 2024 MLB trade deadline. The 31-year-old went 3-2 with a 2.57 ERA, six saves, and a 1.19 WHIP in 21 innings for the Fightins. But he also wasn’t exactly lights out like the Phillies hoped when they sent MLB Pipeline’s No. 7 and No. 12 prospect to Orange County.  

Estevez’s BB/9 more than doubled when he joined the Phillies from 1.3 with LA to 3.0 with the Phils. It seemed as though the former All-Star was always working with traffic on the bases. His velocity also dropped during his time with the Phillies from around 100-MPH to slightly under 97-MPH. Rather than being the “shutdown” arm the Phillies believed they were getting, Estevez proved to be just another guy. 

So, why should it be Carlos Estevez heading into a critical 2025? 

The Phillies gave up two extremely respected prospects –George Klassen and Samuel Aldegheri, respectively– for Estevez. That’s a steep price to pay for a rental player. Plus, Estevez will enter 2025 at just 32-years-old and will likely be relatively affordable, he made $6.75 million in 2024. Again, he wasn’t bad, and he did touch 100-MPH fairly consistently in the 2024 NLDS before he shit the bed like every other reliever. 

Jeff Hoffman

Jeff Hoffman has had the two best seasons of his MLB career with the Philadelphia Phillies. Signed as a free agent on March 31, 2023, after being released by Minnesota, Hoffman has been the Phillies most consistent reliever of the past two regular seasons. In those two seasons, Hoffman has appeared in 122 games and notched an 8-5 record with a 2.28 ERA, 11 saves, a 0.94 WHIP, and an All-Star appearance. That’s not too shabby for a guy who only got his shot because he was throwing BP to Bryce Harper. 

The 31-year-old Hoffman posted a 2.17 ERA and 10 saves this season for the Phillies as he took a more prominent role in the bullpen. While not a traditional closer, Hoffman was manager Rob Thomson’s “go to” guy throughout 2024. But Hoffman’s postseason woes in 2023 and 2024 could be considered a big-time red flag for the organization. 

In four postseason series, Hoffman’s ERA ballooned to 8.64 with a 1.320 WHIP. Hoffman was particularly brutal in the 2023 NLDS against Atlanta and the 2024 NLDS against New York allowing eight earned runs in just five innings of work. 

Still, despite the postseason hiccups, Hoffman has been the Phillies most consistent and trustworthy bullpen arm. That alone should be enough to bring him back to the fold during 2024 MLB free agency. But rest assured, other teams will see the value in Hoffman too. There could potentially be a bidding war if the Phillies want to keep him in the ‘pen. 

Spencer Turnbull

Spencer Turnbull was the feel-good story in baseball right up until he tweaked his back on June 26 and never returned. 

Turnbull signed a $2 million contract with the Phillies in February and immediately became a name to watch during Spring Training in Clearwater. In fact, there was a contingent of baseball experts that believed Turnbull had earned the fifth starter job by beating out incumbent Taijuan Walker. The Phillies didn’t think so, likely letting Walker’s enormous contract cloud their judgment. 

Despite not “winning” the fifth starter job out of Spring Training, Turnbull was in fact the one to take over the role at the beginning of the season due to a late injury to Walker. Turnbull didn’t disappoint going 2-0 with a 1.67 ERA, 36 strikeouts, and a 0.83 WHIP in six starts through April before being unceremoniously returned to the ‘pen. 

Turnbull struggled as a swingman coming out of the bullpen. While he notched a 1-0 record as a reliever, Turnbull’s ERA jumped to 4.26 in the ten appearances he made in relief. His WHIP nearly doubled from .83 to a paltry 1.42 in ten games out of the bullpen. Simply put, he didn’t seem as comfortable.

It might behoove the Phillies to take a chance on Turnbull next season, especially if the now 32-year-old proves to be healthy. The Phillies are in desperate need of a fifth starter, and he could certainly fill the role until the likes of Andy Painter arrive later in the 2025 season. Plus, he would be a relatively inexpensive, buy low/sell high type of signing.