Phillies avoid arbitration with 4 players, including Suárez
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PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies avoided arbitration with all but one of their five eligible players on Thursday, agreeing to one-year deals with left-handers Ranger Suárez and Gregory Soto, as well as right-hander Jeff Hoffman and infielder Edmundo Sosa.
The club, however, did not reach an agreement with third baseman Alec Bohm. The two sides had to exchange salary figures for the upcoming season before 8 p.m. ET on Thursday.
Bohm is seeking $4 million, while Philadelphia countered at $3.4 million. The Phillies could go to an arbitration hearing with Bohm during Spring Training, or they could still reach an agreement at any time beforehand.
Last year, the team exchanged figures with José Alvarado and Seranthony Domínguez before ultimately agreeing to contracts with both players before a potential hearing. In fact, the Phillies not only reached new deals with Alvarado and Domínguez last February, but they signed both players to multi-year extensions to avoid arbitration. That included essentially buying out the final two years of Domínguez’s salary-arbitration eligibility.
The 27-year-old Bohm is in his first of three potential years of arbitration.
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As for the players who reached agreements, Suárez avoided arbitration for the second straight year by agreeing to a $5.05 million deal, per sources. That's a jump from $2.95 million in 2023, when Suárez posted a 4.18 ERA in 22 regular-season starts before turning in another strong postseason. He remains under team control through the 2025 season.
The club also reached details with key bullpen pieces in Hoffman and Soto, as well as a versatile infielder in Sosa.
The Phillies' three other arbitration-eligible players -- outfielder Jake Cave ($1 million), right-hander Dylan Covey ($850,000) and catcher Garrett Stubbs ($850,000) -- agreed to one-year deals earlier this offseason to avoid arbitration.