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The offseason officially began on Halloween eve, after the Dodgers stunned the Yankees in a 7-6 comeback victory, taking the World Series, four games to one. As has been the case in recent years, I expect this blog will go mostly dormant over the winter months, as I continue to focus on my set-building efforts with my 1969 Topps blog, and as I near the end of my blog recounting how my Dad and I collected the 1956 Topps set over a 20-year period.
I'll check back in here every now and then with roster and transaction-related news, and I'd like to maybe work on updating my very out-of-date want lists over the winter months. To kick off the three and half months of semi-hibernation, here's a look at the team's early offseason moves.
Minor League Free Agents: Somewhat under the radar, three Phillies relievers became free agents on October 10th. Dylan Covey (rhp), Nick Nelson (rhp) and Andrew Bellatti (rhp) all left the organization, with Covey quickly signing with the Mets. Covey appeared in 28 games for the Phillies in 2023 and was 1-3 with a 3.69 ERA in 39 innings pitched. He has nary a Phillies baseball card appearance.
Nelson and Bellatti were both key cogs in the team's 2022 bullpen, and then seemingly fell out of the Phillies' pitching plans the past two seasons. Nelson was 4-2 with a 4.65 ERA in 52 games with the Phillies, and he pitched a scoreless, mop-up inning in Game 3 of the 2022 World Series, won by the Astros, 7-0. Bellatti appeared in 86 games, going 5-4 with a 3.87 ERA in 2022 and 2023. He didn't allow a run in five postseason appearances and 4 1/3 innings pitched in 2022. Both had cards in the team-issued photo card sets from 2022 and 2023. Bellatti showed up in the 2023 and 2024 Topps Heritage sets, with both cards using the same photo.
On October 15th, Aramis Garcia (c) joined the ranks of minor league free agents. Garcia appeared in three September games with the Phillies and was 0 for 7. He appears in both editions of the 2024 Lehigh Valley IronPigs team sets.
Major League Free Agents: Carlos Estevez (rhp), Jeff Hoffman (rhp) and Spencer Turnbull (rhp) all became free agents on Halloween. I'd like to see Hoffman, and maybe even Turnbull, come back to the team. Hoffman was an All-Star this year, and both he and Estevez struggled mightily in the NLDS. Turnbull last pitched on June 26th, before injuries derailed his season.
Kingery Era Ends: On November 1st, Scott Kingery (inf) was traded to the Los Angeles Angels for cash considerations. He last suited up for the Phillies for one game in 2022, and over his decade in the organization, he batted .229 with 30 home runs and 96 RBIs at the big league level before settling into a regular role with the IronPigs. Kingery was the club's everyday shortstop in 2018, and the club had signed him to a $24 million contract covering the 2018 to 2023 seasons. I have 93 (!) Kingery cards in my Phillies collection.
40-Man Roster / Transaction Flurry: I'll break this into two posts, with a look at the flurry of moves made on Monday next.
