Phillies Most Important Offseason Decision Centers Around Breakout Star

The Philadelphia Phillies are going to have a tough decision on their hands when it comes to what they do with one of their breakout stars after the year.

Aug 15, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jeff Hoffman (68) pitches to the Toronto Blue Jays during the eighth inning at Rogers Centre / John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Right now, the Philadelphia Phillies are solely focused on winning the World Series title this year.

That has been their stated goal ever since they were eliminated in frustrating fashion at home in the NLCS when they just needed to win one game to get back to the Fall Classic.

Players and coaches have not shied away from placing those expectations on themselves, and during the first half of the season, they looked like the bonafide favorites across the league as they held the best record in baseball for the majority of the year.

But coming out of the All-Star Game that featured tons of Phillies, they have not looked like the same team. There is real worry they might have peaked too soon and will meet an early demise when the playoffs begin.

There is still time for them to find themselves and build momentum during the closing stretch of the regular season, but if they can't regain the form they had early on, then Philadelphia will be focusing on roster decisions sooner than they would have preferred.

Looking ahead to the winter months, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report listed the "biggest offseason decision" that every team around Major League Baseball will have.

For the Phillies, he believes theirs will center around what to do with breakout reliever Jeff Hoffman.

"Estevez and Hoffman will both be free agents this offseason, and there is a case to be made that the latter is the more important piece to bring back into the fold ... and [Hoffman] will likely come with a smaller price tag than Estevez since he doesn't have the same level of ninth-inning experience," he wrote.

Hoffman's tenure with Philadelphia has easily been the best stretch of his career.

After beginning as a starting pitcher with the Colorado Rockies, they eventually transitioned him into a relief role. His five years there were filled with struggles, posting a 6.40 ERA across his 68 outings and 38 starts that saw him record an ERA+ that was 21 points below the league average.

The Rockies eventually dealt him to the Cincinnati Reds ahead of the 2022 season where they primarily used him as a reliever. While his numbers improved to an ERA of 4.28 and ERA+ of 107 in 66 outings and 12 starts, he still wasn't considered someone who could command a high-priced deal.

That's changed with the Phillies.

Hoffman was selected to the All-Star Game for the first time in his career this year, and during his two seasons in Philadelphia, his ERA+ is a ridiculous 189 across his 109 outings, striking out batters at the highest rate of his career.

Teams around the league would love to have someone like him coming out of their bullpen, so when considering how much the Phillies currently are paying others on this roster, there's a chance they might be priced out.

They'll also have to figure out if his performance is sustainable.

Hoffman has the pedigree, getting taken No. 9 overall in the 2014 MLB draft, but as they know all too well, relievers can lose their form year over year.

This might be the peak of Hoffman's career, and for Philadelphia who is already spending a high payroll, they can't afford to hand out another lucrative deal if that player isn't able to perform at an elite level.

The Phillies will certainly have a tough decision to make regarding one of their best bullpen arms during the upcoming offseason.