Is ex-Phillie Billy Wagner a true Hall of Famer even though he is considered a Phillies’ villain? Is Chase Utley on Cooperstown’s doorstep?

And how about the Mets’ John Franco? Is he a Hall of Famer?

These were questions facing Phillies, Yankees and Mets fans after the 2025 Hall of Fame class was recently announced.

Wagner, along with former Yankees starter C.C. Sabathia and outfielder Ichiro Suzuki joined the Cooperstown crew.

Wily Wagner ... In November 2003, the Phillies traded Brandon Duckworth, Taylor Bucholz, and Ezequiel Astacio to Houston for Wagner, who was coming off an All-Star season with 44 saves and a 1.78 ERA.

That same year, Jose Mesa led the Phils in saves with 24 on a team that finished 86-76 and third in the NL East under Larry Bowa.

With the Phillies, Wagner compiled an 8-3 record with a 1.86 ERA and 59 saves over his 126 innings. He had a sensational 146-26 strikeout-to-walk ratio, a WHIP of 0.81, and allowed just 76 hits. However, a hand strain limited his initial season in Philly during 2004 when he went 4-0 with a 2.42 ERA, 21 saves and an 0.766 WHIP.

In 2005, Wagner pitched to a 1.51 ERA and notched 38 saves from his 41 opportunities with an 0.837 WHIP.

But the out-spoken “Billy the Kid” ran into some trouble with his teammates, stating that they had “no chance” of making the playoffs. In September, Wagner was confronted by his teammates about his statement, and Pat Burrell called him a “rat.”

The Phillies won their final four regular-season games in which Wagner had two saves, but they fell short in second place behind the Braves with an 88-74 record, two games off the pace. In early October, GM Ed Wade was fired.

With his welcome worn out, Wagner opted for free agency and signed with the rival Mets.

In New York, Wagner recorded 101 saves of his 422 total with 230 strikeouts over 189 innings and posted a 1.054 WHIP. He often was in the shadow of Mariano Rivera as the Big Apple’s top closer. With the Mets in 2005, Wagner was often greeted with a chorus of boos from Philly fans.

Billy’s Bill ... Looking at Wagner’s numbers among the top closers and Hall of Fame recipients, he did have a viable case for his election.

In comparison to Trevor Hoffman, who had 601 career saves behind Rivera’s 653, Wagner had a 2.87 ERA (Hoffman 2.31), 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings (Hoffman 9.4), and .609 OPS allowed (Hoffman .558 OPS).

Wagner also is second in ERA behind Rivera (2.21), first in strikeouts per nine innings, first in lowest batting average allowed (.187), and second in lowest OPS allowed to Rivera’s .555.

While he may be still considered a villain and in the Phillies “Hall of Shame,” Wagner’ stats merit his selection.

Hall of Shame ... Wagner did fall out of favor with the Phillies’ fans, but there have been others who have done so as well throughout the years.

At the top of the list is J.D. Drew, who wanted a $10 million salary as the Phils’ top pick and second overall in the 1997 MLB draft. The Phils didn’t budge, and Drew made his debut with the Cardinals as a re-draftee a year later.

In his first appearance in Philly, Drew was greeted with a chorus of boos and batteries thrown at him.

Others you can add are Scott Rolen and Jonathan Papelbon, both who openly criticized the organization for not doing enough to keep the team in contention. Rolen also didn’t get along with Bowa as his manager.

Also throw in Odubel Herrara, who was once seen as the team’s long-range center fielder before he was charged with domestic violence in 2019 and was suspended for the rest of the season after 39 games.

How about former skipper and new Reds’ manager Terry Francona? When he was hired in Boston, Francona once stated getting a new job from Philly was like getting a “mulligan,” and he also referred to the fans as “guinea pigs.”

On the Threshold ... Utley appears to be ready for enshrinement in either 2026 or 2027. He received 39.8 percent of the vote, and could be there next year.

Bobby Abreu received 19.5 percent, and his Yankees’ days certainly gave him a boost. Jimmy Rollins gained 18 percent, and he and Abreu can be in range next season.

Don’t forget about Dick Allen being inducted through the veterans’ committee, which chose Jim Kaat in 2022.

Should They or Shouldn’t They? ... Franco’s stats can merit his case.

A three-time all-star, Franco still holds the record in game appearances with 1,119 and had 424 saves with a 2.89 ERA. Franco spent 14 years with the Mets over his 21-year career, which many forget how long he pitched. He struck out 975 batters in 1,245.2 innings.

How about Mike Marshall? A two-time all-star, Marshall still holds a likely unbreakable record of 106 appearances in 1974 when he also won the Cy Young Award. He was at the height of his game with the Expos (26-34, 2.94, 75 saves) and Dodgers (28-29, 3.01, 42 saves), but his career tailed off after that. Marshall finished with 188 saves and a 3.14 ERA.

There’s also Dan Quisenberry, a three-time all-star, who was a mainstay in Kansas City for 10 years, where he delivered 238 saves with a 2.55 ERA. But Quisenberry only pitched two more seasons between the Cardinals and Giants, and fell off netting only six more saves.

Aroldis Chapman, Craig Kimbrel and Kenley Jansen are among active relievers who could be considered for the Hall.

Andy’s Ails ... Former Yankee Andy Pettitte has similar stats to Sabathia’s, and the lefty received 27.9 percent. Pettitte’s popularity has been rising since netting 9.9, and he has three years remaining on the ballot.

Here’s a comparison between Sabathia and Pettitte:

Sabathia has a slate of 251-161, 3.74 ERA, 3,093 strikeouts in 3,577.3 innings, and a WHIP of 1.259 over 19 years. Pettitte has a record of 256-152, 3.85 ERA, 2,448 strikeouts in 3,316 innings, and a 1.351 WHIP over 18 years.

Pettitte lost some momentum with his human growth hormone use, but he pitched plenty of big games for the Yankees

Pacific Pickup ... The Phillies didn’t add coveted Japanese righthander Roki Sasaki, but they added another Japanese pitcher to their roster.

Koyo Aoyagi will be a non-roster invitee to spring training. In nine seasons, Aoyagi posted an overall 82-61 record with a 3.51 ERA and 869 strikeouts in 1,165.2 innings. Last season, Aoyagi was 7-6, 3.00 in 23 games with 78 strikeouts, and 39 walks in 114 innings.

A side-armer, Aoyagi was a three-time all-star with the Hanshin Tigers, and helped Japan win a gold medal in the 2020 Olympics.

And the Dodgers ... The Dodgers’ recent signings of Sasaki ($6.5 million) and reliever Tanner Scott ($72 million) brought their luxury tax payroll to over $375 million.

This winter, they have signed Blake Snell ($182 million), Teoscar Hernandez ($66), Blake Treinen ($22), Michael Conforto ($17), and gave out an extension to Tommy Edman ($74).

They also likely will sign former Texas closer Kirby Yates, who had 33 saves in 61.2 innings with a 1.17 ERA last season.

On paper, the Dodgers are loaded — especially with pitching — and could be the first repeat champion since the Yankees in the 1990s.

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