Philadelphia Phillies Make Multiple Roster Moves That Includes Surprising Releases

The Philadelphia Phillies have made some changes to their roster, some that have included surprising releases of players who played a role last season.

Jul 28, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Kolby Allard (49) throws a pitch against the Cleveland Guardians during the first inning at Citizens Bank Park / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

All eyes will be on how the Philadelphia Phillies construct their roster this offseason after they largely didn't make many changes last winter that turned out to be a major issue down the stretch.

They'll be searching for impact outfielders and additional bullpen arms with two of their stars hitting free agency, but how they fill out the margins is also crucial for an aging roster heading into a long campaign.

According to Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors, they have outrighted five players, pitchers Kolby Allard, Yunior Marte, Freddy Tarnok, and Luis Ortiz, and infielder Rodolfo Castro.

Allard and Marte are the surprises after both pitchers played roles with the Phillies last season.

The former appeared in seven games for Philadelphia, starting five. He posted a 5.00 ERA across his 27 innings pitched, but despite some good performances here and there, he didn't do enough to hold onto the fifth spot in the rotation when the team was desperately searching for someone to take over that role.

Marte was with the team since 2023 when he was acquired in a trade with the San Francisco Giants.

Similarly, he couldn't quite become a staple out of their bullpen after he posted a 5.79 ERA across his 63 appearances that was a result of his poor command of the strike zone which produced a 4.4 BB/9 and 1.730 WHIP.

Tarnok was a late addition when the Phillies claimed him off waivers from the Oakland Athletics, and despite being within the organization since June, he didn't appear in a Major League game.

Ortiz was injured virtually the entire year, appearing in only one MLB contest after dealing with shoulder and ankle injuries.

Castro was a trade deadline acquisition from the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2023, and after playing in 14 games for Philadelphia that season, he was solely with their Triple-A affiliate this past campaign before tearing his thumb ligament.

While these five departures are certainly notable, especially Allard and Marte, the Phillies also claimed reliever John McMillan off waivers from the Miami Marlins, selected another reliever, Alan Rangel, to their 40-man roster, and made a trade with the Detroit Tigers to add intriguing bullpen arm Devin Sweet.