Over the years, the Philadelphia Phillies have had their fair share of impactful players who have helped the team in one way or another to achieve winning and success. For some of those players, they may have even gone on to become popular fan favorites, so much so that the Phillies fans were often left disappointed when they eventually left the organization.
With Philadelphia currently finding themselves the closest that they have been to a World Series championship than they have been for the past decade, they should want to capitalize on any opportunity to give themselves the best chance at capturing the title if possible.
As a result, with numerous former Phillies that have the ability to provide that much-needed impact to bolster the club, which recent Phillies players would Philadelphia fans wish they could have back to help with their potential run in 2025? Here, we will take a look at five of those candidates.
Zach Eflin
There haven’t been too many pitchers that the Phillies likely have regretted letting go in recent years. But if there was one to pinpoint in particular, that one would have to be Zach Eflin. After consistently posting an ERA above 4.00 and a WHIP above 1.20 over his seven seasons with Philadelphia, Eflin has surprisingly evolved into a legitimate, upper-echelon starter following his departure from the organization.
In his first year away from the Phillies in 2023, Eflin posted his best year ever with the Tampa Bay Rays. Not only did he tie for the American League lead in wins with 16, but he also registered career lows in ERA (3.50) and WHIP (1.02) along with 186 strikeouts in 177 2/3 innings pitched over 31 starts.
He followed that up with a solid 2024 campaign, posting double-digit wins with a 3.59 ERA and 1.15 WHIP split between the Rays and the Baltimore Orioles. More impressively, Eflin was solid as a rock for the Orioles down the stretch following the trade deadline, going 5-2 with a 2.60 ERA in nine starts to help lead them into the postseason.
When the Phillies struggled to find a consistent fifth starter to pitch effectively for them throughout the 2024 season, Eflin definitely would have come to mind as someone who would have filled that role perfectly. But instead of retaining him following the 2022 season, the Phillies opened the vault for Taijuan Walker, and we all know how that is turning out. As a result, Eflin is one player the Phillies and their fans really would love to have back as a part of any of their World Series runs.
Carlos Estévez
Things may not have ended the way Phillies fans would have wanted when Carlos Estévez gave up the eventual winning hit to Francisco Lindor during the NLDS against the New York Mets last year. But there’s still no question that Estévez is one of the more elite relief options currently remaining in the free agent market.
After all, he put together the best season of his MLB career in 2024 despite playing for a struggling Los Angeles Angels team for a fair chunk of the year. With the Phillies, Estévez compiled a 3-2 record with six saves, a 2.57 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 18 strikeouts in 21 innings pitched. Overall, he amassed a 2.45 ERA and 0.91 WHIP, with 12 walks and 50 strikeouts in 55 innings over 54 relief appearances with the Angels and Phillies.
Philadelphia may have added Jordan Romano and Joe Ross to their bullpen for 2025, but both players are coming off injuries from recent years. Estévez, on the other hand, hasn’t had any health ailments at all since getting COVID way back in 2022. Therefore, if the Phillies want a durable, reliable piece to help stabilize their bullpen for years to come, a potential reunion with Estévez would do the trick. Especially with the fact that he would likely be hungry for another opportunity at the postseason with a contender to wipe out his lasting playoff memories from his 2024 campaign.
Spencer Turnbull
One of the surprises of the Phillies’ 2023-24 offseason signings, Spencer Turnbull actually had a strong debut with the club last year. With Walker starting the season on the IL, Turnbull got his opportunity to start for the Phillies and sure did a commendable job.
In seven total starts over the course of the season, he amassed a 2-0 record with a stellar 1.78 ERA and 0.85 WHIP, along with 38 strikeouts in just 35 1/3 innings. However, upon Walker’s return, Turnbull was moved to the bullpen where he struggled to a 4.26 ERA and 1.42 WHIP, giving up nine earned runs in just 19 innings of work in 10 relief appearances. However, his 2024 season would come to a premature end as a result of a right lat strain that he suffered in late June.
Despite a small sample size, Turnbull did impress as a starter with the Phillies, showing glimpses of his dominant form seen back in his days as a front-end starter for the Detroit Tigers. However, having a lengthy history of ailments, he was met with injury woes once again last year that ultimately cut short his tenure with Philadelphia.
Given that Turnbull only cost $2 million when the Phillies signed him last offseason, he should be around that figure once again for this offseason in free agency. As a result, Turnbull would make for some inexpensive, valuable starting pitching depth for Philadelphia for the upcoming season if they choose to give him another chance.
Matt Moore
Matt Moore has had quite the roller coaster of a career in the majors thus far. After starting out as one of the top arms in the Rays rotation over the past decade, elbow injury woes and Tommy John surgery ultimately deprived him of his effectiveness as a starter in subsequent seasons.
Despite that, the Phillies took a flyer on the left-hander by signing him to a one-year deal for 2021 following a strong showing with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks of Nippon Professsional Baseball in 2020. However, Moore struggled with injuries and inconsistency during his short tenure with the club that season, posting a 6.29 ERA and 1.59 WHIP in 24 games that included 13 starts.
But since then, Moore has effectively reinvented himself as an elite reliever in the league, recording a sub-2.60 ERA and sub-1.18 WHIP in both his 2022 and 2023 campaigns. As a result, he became one of the toughest lefty relievers in all of baseball in the process. Despite showing some regression in his numbers in 2024, the bulk of it likely had to do with playing for the underachieving Angels, who struggled to a 63-99 record while giving up the third most runs in the league with 797 last year.
With Matt Strahm, José Alvarado and Tanner Banks as the only lefties in the Phillies relief corps for 2025, Moore could be a valuable addition with his veteran 13-year MLB experience. The second go-around could give him a chance for redemption after a less-than-stellar first tenure with the club.
Rhys Hoskins
As one of the most popular Phillies players in recent memory, Rhys Hoskins had been the heart and soul of the club across six MLB seasons. Having lacked a true star power hitter in the lineup since the prime Ryan Howard days, Hoskins quickly became the face of the Phillies’ offensive attack prior to the arrival of Bryce Harper and company.
In Hoskins’ tenure with the Phillies, he compiled an .846 OPS with 392 runs scored, 148 home runs and 405 RBI in 668 games. More importantly, he showed that he could provide a huge impact in the postseason when he had a big series against the San Diego Padres in 2022. Hoskins recorded four home runs and seven RBI in just five games during the NLCS showdown that year.
However, a freak knee injury during spring training in 2023 ultimately ended Hoskins’ season and eventually his tenure with Philadelphia. Known also to be a clutch hitter during his time with the Phillies, Philadelphia could definitely use someone like Hoskins in the lineup to help deliver in key situations. One thing is for sure is that his offensive prowess would have come in handy when the Phillies’ bats came up way short during their 2024 NLDS series against the Mets last season. As a result, Phillies fans would more than welcome back their popular favorite to help lead the team to success.
