Before Friday’s non-tender deadline, the Phillies reached agreements with backup catcher Garrett Stubbs, reserve outfielder Jake Cave, and long reliever Dylan Covey on 2024 contracts worth $850,000 to $1 million.
Teams under club control, or those on the 40-man roster who haven’t accrued enough MLB service time to be eligible for free agency, had until 8 p.m. on Friday to make decisions about their players.
The players who were “non-tendered,” meaning they were not awarded contracts, joined the pool of players who were available as free agents. Among the notable non-tenders in the league were Daniel Vogelbach, Nick Senzel, Dakota Hudson, Rowdy Tellez, and Brandon Woodruff.
Josh Fleming, a left-handed pitcher claimed off waivers by the Phillies two weeks ago, was the team’s only non-tender.
Alec Bohm, Jeff Hoffman, Ranger Suarez, Gregory Soto, and Edmundo Sosa all received contracts from the Phillies that are subject to salary arbitration.
Hoffman has one more arbitration year left before he becomes a free agent in 2024. There are two years left for Suarez, Soto, and Cave. For Bryson Stott, Brandon Marsh, and Cristian Pache, it will be their first year.
By January 12, teams that have players eligible for arbitration must exchange salary information. By coming to an agreement at any time before, the parties can and often do avoid arbitration.
For eligible players who have not reached a contract with their teams, hearings are held from January 29 to February 16. An arbiter may rule in favor of the player or the team.