Section 215
Fansided

5 Phillies on Thin Ice This Offseason

After a disappointing finish in the MLB postseason, these five Phillies players are on thin ice this offseason.

By Jovan Alford

Oct 8, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh (16) reacts to striking out in the eighth inning against the New York Mets during game three of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citi Field.
Oct 8, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Brandon Marsh (16) reacts to striking out in the eighth inning against the New York Mets during game three of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citi Field. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next

With the 2024 MLB season officially wrapped up, the Philadelphia Phillies and the other 29 teams will prepare their offseason wish list for the winter meetings and free agency. The Phillies had an outstanding regular season, finishing with the second-best record in the National League and baseball (95-67).

However, the Phillies couldn’t flip the switch in the MLB postseason, losing in four games to the New York Mets in the NLDS. It was a disappointing ending for a team that lost in the NLCS in seven games to the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2023 and had dreams of getting back to the World Series.

After another disappointing finish, the Phillies will make various changes to the roster in the offseason. Philadelphia has already been connected to New York Yankees star slugger Juan Soto, who will become a free agent this winter.

If the Phillies signed Soto, they would have to do some re-shuffling in the outfield this offseason, which President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski must figure out regardless of free agency. 

With all that being said, we’ll discuss five Phillies on thin ice this offseason as the ball club tries to put the 2024 season behind them and look ahead to an interesting winter.

1. Brandon Marsh

The 26-year-old outfielder was a net negative for the Phillies in the playoffs. He looked out of sorts at the plate, hitting a disappointing .077 with three strikeouts. 

The Phillies could not start the former Angels outfielder in Game 3 of the NLDS because of his struggles at the plate against left-handed pitching. This season, Marsh slashed .192/.270/.282 with a home run and eight RBI in 90 plate appearances against southpaws.

The Phillies didn’t expect Marsh to get worse against left-handed pitching after he produced a slash line of .229/.321/.396 with three home runs and 16 RBI in 2023. But he couldn’t find his swing for some reason, making him a platoon player in the outfield with Johan Rojas.

Philadelphia likely doesn’t want to move on from Marsh this season as he’s a good defensive outfielder. The 26-year-old outfielder had a .978 field percentage in both left and center field. 

However, Marsh had seven defensive runs saved in left field, which is impressive as he ranked second behind Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ (8) in the National League. If the Phillies were to part ways with Marsh, they would likely make a trade for a better offensive outfielder in left or add another piece to the bullpen.

Home/Philadelphia Phillies