Vince Velasquez is returning to the Phillies in 2021. The team offered the 28-year-old RHP a contract before Wednesday’s 8 PM deadline to tender deals to players eligible for salary arbitration. Velasquez was definitely the hardest decision on the list of players eligible. He’s been very inconsistent over the past four seasons and is projected to make roughly $4.5 million next year. However with the Phillies lack of pitching depth, they had little choice but to bring Vinny back for another round.

The Phillies also agreed to one-year contracts with Seranthony Dominguez, Zach Eflin, David Hale, Hector Neris, and projected starting catcher Andrew Knapp, avoiding arbitration with those players. Phillies also tendered a contract to Rhys Hoskins.

If the Phillies had non-tendered any of those players, they would have become free agents. Besides bringing back the players that were already on the roster in 2020, the Phillies have made zero moves during an offseason where they should certainly be looking for help. As days pass, it becomes more unlikely that a big move is on the horizon from a Phillies organization that hasn’t spoken publicly in almost two months.

Mandatory Credit: Philadelphia Magazine