When Jim Thome signed as a free agent with the Phillies before the start of the 2003 season, most assumed he would be the team’s first baseman for a very long time.
He was one of the game’s premier sluggers and signed a six-year, $85 million deal with the Phils, a signing that signaled to the rest of the baseball world that the Phillies were once again major players. And there was hope that Thome, supported by a young, talented cast and a collection of promising starting pitchers, would lead the franchise to the playoffs for the first time since 2003.