Philadelphia Phillies: 3 players who definitely won’t be back in 2021

Aug 8, 2020; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jakee Arrieta (49) delivers a pitch during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 8, 2020; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jakee Arrieta (49) delivers a pitch during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports /
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These three players likely won’t be with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2021.

With qualifying offers being handed out earlier in the week, the MLB offseason is now officially underway. Following yet another playoff-less year of baseball, the Philadelphia Phillies are once again expected to experience some pretty major roster turnover.

A lot of the veterans that they have relied on the last couple years simply haven’t gotten the job done, the bullpen needs to be completely reworked, and ownership’s desire to cut payroll could lead to further loss as well.

Excluding the team’s league worst bullpen for a second (it’s a given that multiple relievers will be given the boot this winter), here are the three key names that have a borderline 0% chance of returning to the Philadelphia Phillies for the 2021 season.

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Jake Arrieta, SP

Ah yes, the former Cy Young award winner and World Series champion. Signed by the Philadelphia Phillies to give them their first true ace since the days of Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee, Arrieta’s tenure in Philly turned out to be a $75 million disaster.

Across 64 starts; Jake Arrieta went 22-23 with a 4.36 ERA. He progressively got worse and worse as each season passed by, with his ERA climbing from 3.96 in 2018, to 5.08 this past year. He routinely battled injuries as well, failing to finish the 2019 and 2020 seasons in their entirety.

Arrieta will hit the open market as a soon-to-be 35 year old free agent this winter, and it’s fairly safe to say that the Phillies will be happy to let him find a new home.