January 24, 2024
Rhys Hoskins appears to be headed for Milwaukee.
Per ESPN's Jeff Passan late Tuesday night, the Phillies' long-time first baseman was closing in on a two-year, $34 million deal with the Brewers, which will include an opt-out after year 1.
Presumably, the 30-year old power hitter will slot in at the heart of the order for last season's NL Central winner, taking up the spot at either first base or DH depending on the timeline of his continued rehab from a torn ACL.
Hoskins was a fifth-round draft pick by the Phillies in 2014, then debuted in the majors three years later in 2017, arriving with a bat that quickly established him as one of the homegrown faces for the club's next generation.
But there were a lot of dark years that followed, and ones that sparked hopes of a postseason run – especially with the arrivals of big free agents and acquisitions like Bryce Harper and J.T. Realmuto – only to see them stall out late into the summer.
Through all the ups and downs, however, Hoskins, along with top pitcher Aaron Nola, remained as the heartbeat of the club and the ones who wanted to see a lengthy rebuild to its completion.
With the 2022 season, the Phillies finally broke through with the clinching of an NL Wild Card spot. Hoskins, in the celebration, had tears in his eyes. The wait was over.
And the run that followed? Well, you know how it goes...
Unfortunately, Hoskins wouldn't get to directly be a part of the encore in 2023. In spring training, and facing a contract year, Hoskins tore his ACL which effectively wiped out his regular season.
He remained around the team as much as he could throughout the summer, and did have ambitions of making it back as an extra bat if the Phillies made it far enough into the postseason for him to, but that never materialized. The Phils fell to the Diamondbacks in seven games in the NLCS, and all the while, Harper took up first base while Hoskins was out with the decision coming early into the offseason that he would keep the job going forward.
There was still some hope of a potential return for the fan favorite and, by that point, the Phillies' longest-tenured position player, but the writing was on the wall: Hoskins' run in Philadelphia was over.
He's reportedly on to Milwaukee now. But the memories, those will stay in South Philly.
Rhys Hoskins, do the honors! #RedOctober #Phillies pic.twitter.com/axF4uoCFv5
— PhillyVoice (@thephillyvoice) October 4, 2023
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