With Bryce Harper getting past Luis Garcia and Cliff Lee outgaining Nick Castellanos, we’ve reached the final four of the tournament to decide who was the best “late” free agent signing in recent Phillies history.
Here are the semi-final matchups:
1.Cliff Lee, 2011
It’s a shame that Lee spent the final year and a half of his contract not playing baseball, but in a way, his injury was a blessing in disguise because it made the Phillies finally begin a rebuilding effort in earnest. Up until that point, they could talk themselves into thinking a rotation headed by Lee and Cole Hamels could sneak into the playoffs.
4. Jeff Hoffman, 2023
I’ve bashed Jeff Hoffman enough, so I’ll say he was a very good reliever for most of his time in Philadelphia and is definitively better than Jordan Romano.
Who should advance? Vote now!
2. Bryce Harper, 2019
Not that long ago, Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, and Juan Soto were members of the Washington Nationals. The Nats didn’t offer any of those players competitive long-term deals, but they did commit to Patrick Corbin and Stephen Strasburg. I realize pitching is important, but it feels like they might have miscalculated a bit.
6. Brad Miller, 2021
I figured there would have been more angst over Miller leaving the Phillies after 2021 considering he hit 20 home runs for them that season. My guess is that the offseason lockout and subsequent signing of a much better player in Kyle Schwarber helped mute most of the disconnect. It also didn’t hurt that Miller was very bad in 2022, racking up -1.7 WAR for the Rangers.
Who should advance? Vote now!