Oct 19, 2022; San Diego, California, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Kyle Gibson (44) pitches in the eighth inning against the San Diego Padres during game two of the NLCS for the 2022 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Philadelphia Phillies fans won’t miss seeing these three players on the field in 2023.
There are a couple of members from last year’s Philadelphia Phillies roster the fans will wish the team found a way to keep. For the most part, it’s understandable why the team moved on from most of their free agents or traded away who they did. This is a club on a mission. It doesn’t stop at losing in the World Series.
Through red-pinstripe-colored glasses, it’s looking like most of the Phillies’ free agents who are gone didn’t fit moving forward. Fans can welcome them back when they do return to Citizens Bank Ballpark. They don’t have to be overly sentimental, though.
No Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, or Pat Burrell was lost in free agency after claiming the National League pennant. These three Phillies free agents won’t be missed.
3. Phillies fans will not miss Kyle Gibson and his troublesome year and a half
Acquired in the middle of the 2021 season after an All-Star selection with the Texas Rangers, Kyle Gibson is a forgettable pitcher. He went from a 2.87 ERA in Texas back in 2021 to a 5.09 ERA with the Phillies. The team fell short of reaching the postseason. His performance was one of the reasons why. However, the front office should have known better than to believe Gibson and Ian Kennedy would solve the team’s pitching problem.
Gibson was very much the same in 2022. He made 31 starts spanning 167.2 innings. The 5.05 ERA nearly matched what he did in his half-season with the team in 2021. He leaves the Phillies in free agency with a 14-14 record and 5.06 ERA in 42 starts and a relief appearance.
What made the Gibson trade feel worse is how unavailable he was for the team in the postseason. The Phillies had a mess on their hands with only two starting pitchers they could truly trust. Gibson should have been the veteran Rob Thomson could count on to at least give them four or five frames. Instead, all he got was a single appearance in the NLCS and another in the World Series as a reliever.
Now with the Baltimore Orioles, the anguish of seeing Gibson is over.