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Sports

The “Last Man In” free agent tournament

Story bySmarty JonesSat, January 24, 2026 at 5:59 PM UTC·2 min readAs Phillies fans hope that the team has another big move left in them (Don’t hold your breath!), I decided to take a look at recent offseasons to see how many big moves they’ve made closer to the start of camp. Then, as one does, I decided to make the exercise into an interactive March Madness-style tournament. From 2010 to 2025, I identified the last free agent the team signed before the season began. To qualify for the list, the player:AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHad to be an outside signing.

The “Last Man In” free agent tournament

Credit: Yahoo

Key Highlights

  • Re-signings like J. T.
  • Realmuto in 2021 do not count, but former Phillies who were on a different team in between (Cliff Lee) do qualify. The player had to appear in at least one game the season he was signed. Here’s the field, seeded by WAR in their first season with the team:Cliff Lee 2011Bryce Harper 2019Jake Arrieta 2018Jeff Hoffman 2023Jose Contreras 2010Brad Miller 2021Luis Garcia 2013Joe Ross 2025Nick Castellanos 2022David Lough 2016Neil Walker 2020Ronny Cedeño 2014Chad Qualls 2012Ricardo Pinto 2024Dustin McGowan 2015Michael Saunders 2017Some of those names you’ll recognize (even if you wish you didn’t), and some you’ll probably need a refresher on. Twice a week, I’ll present a matchup, and the readers will get to vote for which player should advance.
  • You can choose to vote for the player who had the best initial season, the player who has had the best Phillies career, a player you have a soft spot for (Where my Qualls-heads at?), or simply vote for chaos and let Nick Castellanos win it all as a farewell(?) present. We’ll start things off with our 8-9 matchup.
  • Here’s a quick summary:AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement8.
  • Joe Ross, 2025Stats with the Phillies: 37 games, 51 IP, 2-1, 5.12 ERA, 39 K, 18 BB, 0.0 WARAfter a solid season as a swingman for the Brewers in 2024, the Phillies signed Joe Ross hoping he could provide both rotation depth as well as solid middle relief.
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Sources

  1. The “Last Man In” free agent tournament

This quick summary is automatically generated using AI based on reports from multiple news sources. The content has not been reviewed or verified by humans. For complete details, accuracy, and context, please refer to the original published articles.

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