With today’s 1:00 p.m. ET arbitration agreement deadline having passed, arbitration season has officially begun.
The five Philadelphia Phillies players who are eligible for arbitration for the 2024 season—third baseman Alec Bohm, starting pitcher Ranger Suárez, relievers Gregory Soto and Jeff Hoffman, and utilityman Edmundo Sosa—were still unsigned as of deadline day, which was moved up one day from the original scheduled date of January 12.
The Phillies reached agreements with Hoffman, Sosa, and Suárez; as a result, the two pitchers and utility player will not face arbitration hearings.
Ranger Suárez got a hefty rise for 2024 after making $2.9 million in 2023. The Phillies and Suárez agreed on a $5.05 million salary, reported The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber. MLB Trade Rumors estimated that he would receive $4.7 million for his arbitration.
Suárez ended with a 4.18 ERA in 125 1/3 innings and went 4-6 across 22 starts during the regular season, but the southpaw really came into his own in the postseason. He made four starts as the third starter and went 1-1 with a 1.93 ERA and 0.80 WHIP.
Hoffman had an amazing 2023 season for the Phillies, which led to him receiving a raise in his last arbitration year. The organization and Hoffman reached a deal for $2.2 million for 2024, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic. This amount is marginally more than the $2.1 million MLB Trade Rumors had predicted. After finishing the previous season with a 2.41 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in 52 1/3 innings out of the bullpen, the 31-year-old was paid $1.3 million.
The next thing Hoffman has to know is if the Phillies will extend their offer to the right-hander or if they’ll let him finish out the season and then allow him to enter free agency the following winter.