Zach Eflin declines $15M option, hits free agent market

Phillies reliever Zach Eflin has declined his $15M option for the 2023 season and has officially hit the free-agent market, according to Jon Heyman.
Zach Eflin’s been with the Phillies since 2014, making his debut with the team in 2016. Primarily a starter, Eflin’s knee troubles took him to the Injured List for a few months of the 2022 season, and was never able to return to the mound as a starter.
Eflin returned to the field as a reliever and dominated in his new role. He has a 1.17 ERA over his last seven appearances with 9 Ks and just one earned run in that time. He finished the 2022 season with a 4.04 ERA, logging 75.2 innings in 13 starts and seven games out of the pen.
Zach Eflin declining his option for 2023 does not mean he won’t return to the Phillies. Eflin will now hit free agency and will be able to get a new offer from the Phillies that will certainly be lower than that. Even if Eflin stayed healthy throughout this season, the Phillies probably still wouldn’t have picked it up. Zach will now be able to weigh out his options, and if the Phillies give him a deal in the right price range, Eflin will most certainly return to the team.
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