Dave Dombrowski’s most underrated move of the 2022 season was the acquisition of utilityman Edmundo Sosa from the St. Louis Cardinals.

Sosa, 26, was traded to Philadelphia for southpaw arm JoJo Romero, a pitcher with a quick flash of elite stuff but couldn’t ever put it all together at the major league level. Romero dealt with injuries throughout his time in Philadelphia, and the best thing on his resume was a video of him crushing a Red Bull on his arm.

The deal didn’t necessarily make sense at the time. The Phillies were in dire need of bullpen arms, and infield seemed like a position that the Phillies were ready to move forward with. Didi Gregorius was still on the roster at the time, and the Phils had guys like Johan Camargo, along with Jean Segura, Bryson Stott, and Alec Bohm.

Gregorius was DFA’d four days after the Edmundo Sosa acquisition, and the 26-year-old completely turned his season around. Sosa, who hit just .189/.244/.270 with the Cardinals in 2022, slashed .315/.345/.593 with the Phillies after the All-Star break and was a crucial bench piece on the road to Game 6 of the World Series.

Once Matt Vierling and Nick Maton were dealt to the Detroit Tigers, it was key that Dombrowski was active in the outfield market. He brought in Jake Cave but didn’t budge anymore. Sosa proved he can play all around the infield, but Rob Thomson and the team now have their eyes set on Sosa becoming a “super utilityman,” also known as the Ben Zobrist of the Phillies.

Edmundo Sosa is a part of “Octagon” agency, along with star outfielder Julio Rodriguez, Adolis Garcia, and Manuel Margot. Sosa got to work out with these three guys in the offseason and learn all things outfield, whether that’s the eight angles of the outfield, first step, or ball-tracking. Edmundo sat down with Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer and talked about the challenge for the new season.

“It’s just a little different. It’s a process, obviously. I’m not going to say it’s easy because it isn’t, but we’re working at it. I feel like I’m advancing very quickly…bit by bit, I’m getting better. I’m working hard so I’m ready when (Rob) Thomson needs me.”

Brandon Marsh is going to develop into something really special for the Phillies over the years. His bat immediately saw a jump once he started working with Kevin Long, which is very similar to Sosa.

The Phillies have more depth in the infield than they do in the outfield, specifically centerfield. With the addition of Josh Harrison and Kody Clemens, the team won’t necessarily need Edmundo Sosa to play the infield every other day anymore. But after Brandon Marsh, it’s now Sosa…and he’s ready for the future.

Edmundo Sosa Murders a Baseball vs. the Pirates

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Mandatory Credit: Don Otto