The Philadelphia Phillies have plenty of high-profile free agents heading into the offseason.
Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, and Ranger Suárez are expected to draw significant interest from teams once free agency officially begins — which won’t happen until five days after the World Series concludes.
However, one Phillies infielder has already hit the open market.
Donovan Walton, a 31-year-old utility player, has opted for free agency, according to his official transactions page. He spent most of the season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley and played just two games in the majors for the Phillies this year.
Walton was called up from Triple-A on September 8 but saw limited action, mostly remaining on the bench. He was designated for assignment on September 24 and removed from the 40-man roster, though the Phillies kept him on hand during the playoffs as injury insurance.
Now that Philadelphia’s postseason run is over, Walton is looking ahead to his next opportunity. Over six MLB seasons, he has played in 72 games with the Mariners, Giants, and Phillies.
In his brief stint with the Phillies this September, he went 1-for-8 with a walk and an RBI. At Triple-A Lehigh Valley, however, Walton put up strong numbers, batting .339 with a .413 on-base percentage and collecting 60 hits in 50 games.
Players like Walton can be invaluable organizational depth during a playoff push. It will be intriguing to see if the Phillies pursue a reunion, and if any teams offer better opportunities to challenge for a roster spot out of spring training.
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