October 09, 2026
Bill Streicher/Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
How much of a priority should it be to re-sign Edmundo Sosa?
There probably aren't many Phillies players with a higher approval rating than Edmundo Sosa.
He is a great defender — at all infield positions. And a new wrinkle, playing in the outfield, didn't trip Sosa up a bit the last two seasons.
He's a really solid hitter. He's reliable. And he's been here for almost the entire five-year playoff run — acquired from the Cardinals in 2022.
Sosa will be a free agent in a few weeks. What should the Phillies do about that?
MORE STAY OR GO: Alec Bohm | Luis Arráez | Dave Dombrowski | Don Mattingly
His offense
Typically a utiltyman is just a defensive sub and a spot starter, who has barely passable major league offense. That's not so with Sosa. His. .260/.302/.444 slash line as a Phillie, over five years and 392 games is pretty solid. He's had a positive offensive WAR the entire time he's been in Philly too, which is hard to do when you don't always know when your next start is going to be.
He has a little pop, averaging 13 homers and 45 extra base hits per 162 games, and there's never a big drop off when he's in the lineup. The simple fact that he's not a negative with the bat makes him better than most MLB utility players.
His defense and utility
The value, from that offense we mentioned, really comes when you factor in his ability to do basically everything on a baseball field. In 2026 he spent time at second, third, shortstop, and left field. In 2025 he also played some center field. One of the reasons why the Phillies don't use their bench much, is because they have Sosa to plug in anywhere. He's their back up at three infield spots and is essentially also a fourth outfielder.
Does he want to start?
Sosa has put enough on tape, and the stat sheet, to earn a starting job somewhere. If he wants to be an everyday shortstop, his natural position, chances are he can look for that somewhere.
As we mentioned when we discussed Alec Bohm's free agency, the infield options are slim this winter. Sosa could get interest from contenders who need his utility. Or from a team that wants an everyday player who can hit, defend and has 22 games of postseason experience to contribute too.
He's over 30
If the Phillies run it back with everyone for 2027 (bring back Bohm and Luis Arráez, and not counting any over 30 bullpen arms they might sign), they'll be up at 18 players aged 30 or older on a potential 26-man roster. That's a recipe for a window of contention slamming shut.
The Phillies were hoping Otto Kemp would emerge as a younger (and cheaper) version of Sosa, but that never panned out. Sosa is sort of a skeleton key that helps the older roster, giving guys day off and helping to survive minor injuries throughout the season. But there is a pretty strong argument to be made that the team needs to have a younger bench and unless Sosa is willing to ink a shorter team deal he might be a painful sacrifice.
What do you think, should the Phillies make it a priority to bring back Edmundo Sosa?
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