Phillies sign trio and tender contracts to five more arbitration-eligible players

Backup catcher Garrett Stubbs, reserve outfielder Jake Cave, and right-hander Dylan Covey agreed to contracts to return next season.

Backup catcher Garrett Stubbs and the Phillies have agreed to a one-year deal, the team announced Friday.Read moreElizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer

by Scott Lauber

Published Nov. 17, 2023, 8:55 p.m. ET

Faced with a deadline to offer 2024 contracts to players who are eligible for salary arbitration, the Phillies signed three of those players to one-year deals.

Backup catcher Garrett Stubbs, reserve outfielder Jake Cave, and right-hander Dylan Covey agreed to terms to return next season, the team announced Friday night. Cave signed for $1 million, while Stubbs and Covey will be paid $850,000 in the majors.

The Phillies tendered contracts to five other arbitration-eligible players: third baseman Alec Bohm, lefty Ranger Suárez, infielder Edmundo Sosa, and relievers Jeff Hoffman and Gregory Soto. If the players don’t reach agreements by Jan. 12, they will exchange salary figures with the Phillies. Arbitration hearings are scheduled to be held Jan. 29 through Feb. 16.

According to projections published at MLB Trade Rumors, Suárez’s salary could rise to $4.7 million, while Bohm could come in at $4.3 million, Soto at $4.9 million, Hoffman at $2.1 million, and Sosa at $1.7 million. But regardless of their compensation, each player is considered to be under contract for 2024.

The Phillies didn’t tender a contract to lefty Josh Fleming, who will become a free agent. They recently claimed Fleming off waivers from the Rays.