MLB insider predicts Phillies to sign top closer after letting Hoffman, Estévez walk

The Philadelphia Phillies will have most of the 26-man roster back next season, with only three players slated to hit free agency this winter. With the 2024 World Series now in the books, and the floodgates of free agency ready to open up on Monday, how the Phillies plan to engage with Spencer Turnbull, Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez remains to be seen.

While Turnbull began 2024 getting good results for an injury-plagued Phillies rotation, the all-too-familiar injury bug came back to haunt the veteran pitcher yet again this season. After being put on the IL on June 26 with a right lat strain, he never make it back to the mound again for the rest of the season.

Despite solid overall numbers in 17 appearances (seven starts) with a 3-0 record and 2.65 ERA to go along with 58 strikeouts in 54 1/3 innings, Turnbull’s alarming injury history will likely prevent a reunion this winter.

Hoffman and Estévez are entirely different stories. Hoffman put together an All-Star season in 2024, and spent considerable time sharing closing duties with José Alvarado before the Phillies acquired Estévez at the MLB trade deadline in July.

While Hoffman’s poor performance in the NLDS certainly left a sour taste in the mouths of Phillies fans, the free agent right-hander posted a strong record of 3-3 with 10 saves and a 2.17 ERA in 66 1/3 innings this season. The Phillies will have to weigh out if extending a qualifying offer ($21.05 million) makes financial sense for the ball club, with other intriguing free agent targets open to the highest bidder soon.

Estévez proved to be a solid addition, with a record of 3-2, six saves and a 2.57 ERA in 20 appearances. The Phillies knew that acquiring the hard-throwing righty would come with a steep cost, but that didn’t deter the front office from sending top pitching prospects George Klassen and Samuel Aldegheri to the Angels for what amounted to a two-month rental in Estévez. The market for the All-Star closer should be pretty robust this offseason.

The Phillies could also have their sights set on the market for another free agent closer this winter.

According to former MLB GM and current baseball insider Jim Bowden of The Athletic, the Phillies will have a different closer (subscription required) walking out for the ninth inning next season. That closer also coincides with the Phillies moving on completely from Hoffman and Estévez this offseason.

While this is a prediction from Bowden, and amounts to nothing more than speculation at this point, Bowden has the Phillies targeting a name fans are likely very familiar with by now.

“Lefty Tanner Scott signs a four-year, $60 million deal with the, Phillies who say goodbye to high-leverage relievers Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez in free agency,” predicted Bowden.

Tanner Scott was considered to be a top target of the Phillies at the trade deadline this July, with the Marlins ultimately shipping him to the San Diego Padres with right-hander Bryan Hoeing in a deal that netted the Marlins four of the San Diego’s top prospects in the exchange. While the Phillies surely had interest, it’s unclear if either side was unwilling to do business with an division rival.

But now that all it takes this offseason is money to lure Scott into the fold, the Phillies could be tempted to make a play for Scott at around the $60 million Bowden predicts. Coming off a season where Scott made his first All-Star team and put together a record of 9-6 with a 1.75 ERA and 22 saves, in addition to 84 strikeouts in 62 2/3 innings, the market for the 30-year-old southpaw is sure to have a long list of suitors.

With Bowden also predicting that Estévez will sign a three-year, $33 million deal with the Texas Rangers this offseason, the Phillies will need to be aggressive this winter if they want to fill the void created by the potential departures of Hoffman and Estévez.

While the Phillies could give Alvarado another chance to save games in 2025 or extend Orion Kerkering a shot at claiming the closer’s role, it’s more likely they will be signing someone this offseason. The only question is who?