When teams across any sport have to make the tough decision to move on from a player, there are countless stories about both parties not ending things on the best of terms.
That isn’t the case between Rhys Hoskins and the Philadelphia Phillies.
Once they made the decision to play Bryce Harper at first base moving forward, it was obvious they were going to let their slugger hit free agency and not reunite.
They likely would have loved to keep Hoskins on the team if it was possible, but with Kyle Schwarber moving into the designated hitter role, the Phillies couldn’t justify keeping Hoskins no matter how good of a clubhouse guy he is.
So, Dave Dombrowski told the franchise’s 2014 fifth round pick that they were moving on.
“They were upfront with me at the start of the offseason which was probably a good thing for me, emotionally, getting a little closure after a weird year and moving on to whatever was next,” Hoskins said at his opening press conference with the Milwaukee Brewers.
This allowed him to cash in, signing a two-year, $34 million contract with the Brewers that should give him an opportunity to remind people of his offensive prowess.
If Philadelphia would have strung him along this offseason and made it seem like they had interest in bringing him back, then maybe he doesn’t explore all the opportunities presented to him.
Just super grateful for the transparency and him being upfront with me about which way they were going to go. I was able to set the offseason off on the right foot because of that,” he said.
Hoskins and his wife Jayme were very active in the community. They developed a bond with fans and the locals, making it that much more of a tough decision to part ways with someone so beloved.
The slugger will certainly be missed on the Phillies.
He returns to Citizens Bank Park with Milwaukee from June 3-5
There’s no doubt Hoskins will receive a massive ovation from the crowd when he takes the field throughout the series.
