3 Phillies Who Will Be Replaced By Free Agent Signings

After falling short in the playoffs for the second year in a row, the Philadelphia Phillies are going to make some changes this offseason. They've already started by shaking up the front office, and now the roster could use some adjustments, too.

Several players were significant disappointments in 2023, so the Phillies could upgrade by signing new players to replace them.

With that in mind, here are three Philadelphia players at risk of being replaced in free agency this winter.

1. Jake Cave

The Phillies claimed Cave off waivers last offseason to bolster their outfield depth in the wake of Bryce Harper's injury. Coming off three straight underwhelming seasons with the Minnesota Twins, there was hope that he could bounce back in 2023.

Unfortunately, those hopes were misplaced. Cave slogged through another subpar season at the plate, slashing .212/.272/.348 with more strikeouts (55) than hits (39) in 65 games.

Those numbers are bad for any position, but they are especially poor given that he plays offense-first positions like outfield, first base and DH. You need to have a decent bat at those spots who can at least provide some pop or on-base skills, and Cave doesn't do either. He's not great with the glove and isn't a standout baserunner, either.

Cave played sparingly in the playoffs, making just 3 appearances as a pinch-hitter -- one of which produced the final out of the NLCS in Game 7. It was surprising that he was even on the postseason roster in the first place, and he didn't play at all in the first two rounds of the playoffs. Philadelphia clearly doesn't view him as an essential part of the team.

Cave turns 31 in December and hasn't had a productive season since 2019 (70 OPS+ since then). The Phillies would be much better off signing a cheap veteran slugger to replace him as their fourth outfielder rather than watching him continue to flail away.