Phillies sign big bat on the market, create lineup questions

The Phillies made a major signing on Friday, but they may have also created a possible issue with one of their best young players

While many have been surprised to see how aggressive the Philadelphia Phillies have been after relievers and other arms in the free agent market this offseason, most looking at the Phillies roster coming into the offseason could understand the move. However, the signing on Friday out of Philly was not at all an expected move by anyone on a national scale, or even really rumored locally.

On Friday, the Phillies announced that they have signed first baseman Carlos Santana to a 3-year contract with an option for a fourth season.

Santana’s contract

The total value of the base contract is three seasons and $60 million. It is reported that Santana will also have a $17.5 million option for 2021.

Santana is one of the best defensive first basemen in the game, which is something that would be a definite positive for what should be a young infield in Philadelphia for the next few seasons. Santana was a finalist for the American League Gold Glove at first base this season, and via defensive metrics, he, Mitch Moreland, and Joe Mauer all had arguments for the award over winner Eric Hosmer.

However, Santana’s more than just a punchless glove at the first sack. Santana has been a full time starter in the Cleveland lineup for the last 7 seasons, and in that time, he’s averaged a .249/.363/.445 line with 24 home runs. What is most impressive of Santana is his zone judgement, posting an average of 98 walks and 112 strikeouts over the last 7 seasons. He’s been even better the last couple of seasons, with a total of 187 walks and 193 strikeouts.

Santana’s also a switch-hitter, which allows him to add flexibility to a lineup, making his bat that much more attractive. While he’s not an elite base stealer or incredibly quick, Santana has very smart baserunning skills, and he’s shown that with his ability to tally 8 triples the last three seasons in spite of having fringe-average overall speed.

So with all these positives, and not having to go beyond 3 years or $60 million guaranteed, what would be the issue? Well, it is all about a certain 2017 rookie…

What to do with Rhys?

Rhys Hoskins came up with the Phillies at the end of 2017, and he was immediately noteworthy, and not just for those fans in Philadelphia looking for a positive in a season where plenty about the team on the field was negative.

Hoskins went on a home run tear to begin his major league career that did tail off some by the end of the season, but he still finished with a .259/.396/.618 line with 18 home runs in just 50 games. He put up an impressive 37 walks over just 212 plate appearances, but he also did strike out 46 times.

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While Hoskins did play 30 games in the outfield in 2017, he’s certainly a natural first baseman. At 6’4″ tall and 225-235 pounds, Hoskins definitely has the stature of a first baseman. He did acquit himself fairly well in left field in 2017.

The initial discussion out of Phillies camp is that Hoskins will indeed play some left field, but that also means that the Phillies have two young outfielders who played well in Aaron Altherr and Nick Williams who will likely be shopped in the trade market at this point or be an extremely talented bench player.

Regardless, this may be one of the most surprising moves of the offseason thus far, and the ripples likely aren’t done being felt.

Next: Trading Kingery a bad idea

How the team handles the combination of Santana and Hoskins will be a very interesting thing over the next few years. Certainly, they will be combining to escort a number of balls out of the yard!