The Phillies have released outfielder Odubel Herrera and right-hander Jeurys Familia. Righty Ryan Sherriff has also been outrighted to Triple-A. All three players were designated for assignment earlier this week.
This is the second time within the last year that the Phils have officially parted ways with Herrera, as they declined their $11.5MM club option last fall and then re-signed him for only $1.75MM in March. It would seem like today’s release will bring an end to Herrera’s run in the organization after seven-plus years, as Philadelphia is certainly hoping that trade deadline acquisition Brandon Marsh can be a long-term answer in center field.
Herrera hit .238/.279/.378 over 197 PA this season, seeing time in center field and left field. Familia was also struggling, with a 6.09 ERA in 34 innings after signing a one-year, $6MM free agent deal with the Phillies during the offseason.
Familia is still owed around $2MM of that salary, though a new team will have to cover just the prorated MLB minimum salary, while the Phillies absorb the rest. The same is true of the roughly $580K owed to Herrera on the remainder of his deal. Claiming either player off DFA waivers would have put the new team on the hook for the rest of the remaining salary, so while neither Herrera or Familia represents a huge financial outlay, it is still understandable why other teams would prefer to stick the Phillies with much of the bill.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see either player catch on elsewhere, though Familia is seemingly the likelier of the two to land with a new club. Herrera hasn’t been a terribly effective player since 2017, while Familia still had solid bottom-line numbers with the Mets as recently as 2021. With pretty much all of Familia’s secondary metrics trending downward, however, clubs must have concerns over what the 32-year-old still has in the tank.
