4 Former Phillies Who Will Fail Miserably With Their New Teams in 2024

The Philadelphia Phillies are largely having a quiet offseason. They mostly kept their powder dry without making any splashy moves. And that is understandable since the roster is stacked in every position and is good enough to make another postseason run.

However, there were some departures as the Phillies had a few key rotation players hitting free agency. Whether any of these players will be missed remains to be seen, but here are a few names that are more likely to fail rather than succeed in their new destinations.

Michael Lorenzen

Oh, how quickly things turn around in baseball. Trading for Michael Lorenzen mid-season was a move that struck fear into the Phillies’ opponents, especially after he threw a no-hitter against the Washington Nationals in his first home start. This was the first no-hitter by a Phillies player since Cole Hamels in 2015. Things were looking up for Lorenzen and Philadelphia.

However, things went south really fast after the no-hitter. Lorenzen struggled, posting a 5.51 ERA in 11 games with a whopping 15 walks and only 18 strikeouts. This naturally pushed Lorenzen out of the rotation and he was used sparingly in the postseason. He wasn’t any better in his first relief appearance, giving up four earned runs.

Although inconsistent, Lorenzen is a good and versatile pitcher, making his first All-Star appearance in 2023. He is currently still a free agent but he should get a decent long-term contract by a team looking to bolster their bullpen. Yet, whichever team decides to sign him should be ready for consistently inconsistent performances.

It’s hard to see the Phillies regretting not retaining Lorenzen.

Michael Plassmeyer

The 27-year-old left-handed pitcher has made three appearances in the majors, all with the Phillies in 2023. Bouncing back and forth between the Triple-A and the major league, Plassmeyer failed to make a name for himself in the Phillies bullpen, posting a 0-2 record along with a 9.82 ERA. Despite showing plenty of potential early on in his career as a fourth-round pick in the 2018 draft, Plassmeyer has been a minor league mainstay throughout his career.

During his time in the minors for Philadelphia, he struggled with injuries and when he was able to take the mound, wasn’t very impressive, posting a 5.05 ERA in 16 appearances for Lehigh IronPigs.

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed him to a minor league deal this offseason. The Pirates obviously need pitching depth with plenty of injuries in their bullpen. However, it still seems highly unlikely that Plassmeyer will break into the rotation.

Craig Kimbrel

The future Hall-of-Famer made sense for the Phillies as a short-term solution last season and he started the year very well, making another All-Star appearance. However, the bottom fell out completely during the NLCS as he blew two leads.

The veteran completely fell apart in Games 3 and 4, being the first Phillies pitcher to lose back-to-back playoff games since Mitch Williams in the 1993 World Series.

Yet somehow, the 35-year-old closer got a bigger deal this offseason than he did last when he signed a one-year, $13 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles. The right-hander will be the highest-paid Orioles player since 2019.

Yes, he is one of the best closers ever and ranks eighth in AL/NL history with 417 career saves. But he is also past his prime and is not as dependable as he used to be. However, the Orioles are paying him like he is. If they expect him to replace Felix Bautista, the no. 1 closer in the game, who will be out for the season with a Tommy John surgery, they are in for a rude awakening.

Rhys Hoskins

It may be a bit harsh to include Hoskins on this list as no Phillies fans want him to fail for the rest of his career. Let’s hope he makes his inclusion here look stupid with his tenure with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Hoskins signed with the Brewers for a two-year, $34 million contract with an opt-out after the first season. Even though he fills a need in Milwaukee, it is a highly risky move.

Hoskins is turning 31 and is coming off an ACL tear. There was speculation that he would have been back for the World Series if Philadelphia had made it last season. So, he is on track to be fully healthy next year.

Yet, even when fully healthy, things were never perfect with Hoskins in Philadelphia. Yes, he had 30 home runs in his last healthy season, but he also had career-low marks in hard-hit rate and fly-ball rate.

Plus, Bryce Harper stepping into playing first baseman and adding more versatility and defense than Hoskins in a position he has never played before doesn’t bode well for Hoskins, especially after a serious injury.

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This article was originally published on section215.com as 4 Former Phillies Who Will Fail Miserably With Their New Teams in 2024.