Phillies avoid arbitration with Rhys Hoskins and Jose Alvarado

CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Phillies avoided arbitration with two of their three arbitration-eligible players ahead of MLB’s filing deadline on Tuesday: reliever Jose Alvarado and first baseman Rhys Hoskins.

Hoskins agreed to a $7.7 million deal for the 2022 season, according to NBC Sports Philadelphia. Alvarado agreed to a $1.9 million deal. Starter Zach Eflin is the only player the Phillies have not agreed to terms with yet. Reliever Seranthony Domínguez agreed to a one-year, $725,000 deal in November, before the non-tender deadline.

If Eflin and the Phillies don’t reach an agreement, they will exchange figures and may come to terms on his 2022 salary at any point before a hearing that will be scheduled by Major League Baseball. Regardless, Eflin is under control this season. He made $4.45 million in 2021 and could make about $6 million this year, according to projections by MLB Trade Rumors.

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Hoskins hit 27 home runs and batted .247/.334/.530 with an .864 OPS in 107 games last year. Alvarado had 68 strikeouts in 55⅔ innings last season. His fastball velocity was in the 99th percentile of MLB, according to Baseball Savant.

Domínguez was lighting up the radar gun in Clearwater on Tuesday afternoon in a 7-2 victory over the Tigers. He recorded the top velocity of the day — 97.3 mph — and was in the 96-95 mph range for seven of his 14 pitches. Domínguez recorded no walks, no hits and struck out three in his inning of work.

He said after the game that he has worked on making some improvements to his diet and has dropped about 20 pounds.

“I felt great,” he said in Spanish. “My goal today was what it always is, make quality pitches, and get guys out. I’m working on being more consistent with my control, and was happy with that today.”

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Aside from lowering his walk totals, Domínguez added that another goal is to stay healthy for the rest of the season. He underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in July 2020, and got in only one game at the big-league level with the Phillies in 2021, recording a strikeout in one inning. He spent the majority of his 2021 season at triple-A Lehigh Valley, and hasn’t looked the same since he returned from surgery — until Tuesday when he touched 97 mph for the first time in awhile.

“Throwing 97 was normal for me before the surgery,” Domínguez said. “But after the surgery it wasn’t the same for me. But now, thankfully, I’m getting there. I’m super happy with how it went today. But I think I can I do better.”

What “better” means for Domínguez is up for debate — he won’t put a number on it — but the Phillies will be pleased if he returns to any version of his former 2018 self, when he had 74 strikeouts in 58 innings.

Kyle Schwarber will make his Phillies spring debut on Wednesday against the Toronto Blue Jays at BayCare Ballpark. He’s batting leadoff as the designated hitter. Nick Castellanos will meet the media in a press conference at noon Wednesday.

Phillies outfielder Odúbel Herrera will undergo an MRI soon, according to Girardi. Herrera has some lingering soreness in his right side. Girardi said this opens the competition for the center-field spot, but added Matt Vierling is still the favorite after Herrera.