Where Will the Phillies Trade Alec Bohm?

After another disappointing end to their season, the Philadelphia Phillies are looking to make changes to their roster.

With plenty of players locked into big-money contracts, like Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, J.T. Realmuto, Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber, the Phillies have to get creative on how to augment their core, and it seems like all eyes are on Alec Bohm this offseason.

After being named the starting third baseman in the All-Star Game for the National League, Bohm went through noticeable struggles in the second half that carried over into the postseason and now has him being identified as the odd man out of the Phillies Major League roster.

What makes it a bit puzzling is that the Phillies do not currently have a replacement for him on the roster. So it begs the question as to what Phillies owner John Middleton has up his sleeve after being quoted at the GM meetings as saying he would not hesitate to spend above the third level of the competitive balance tax for “the right player.”

Why Move on From Alec Bohm?

Before brainstorming as to who “the right player” is, let’s dig into the 2024 season for Bohm and what his next employer is getting.

The 28-year-old third baseman, as I stated above, had an incredible first half of the year. Slashing .295/.348/.482 with 11 home runs and a 128 wRC+. After the mid-summer classic, the wRC+ dropped to 90, he only hit four home runs and had an on-base percentage below .300.

In terms of team control left on his deal, Bohm is entering year 2 of arbitration, where Spotrac has him projected to make around $8.1 million as of today. He is not scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent until the 2027 season, so his new team would have two full seasons of control before he would enter free agency at 30 years old.

Dave Dombrowski has always been known to make splashy moves, so nothing is ever off the table when it comes to moves to make. Now, where will Bohm end up?

Toronto Blue Jays

When I first saw the news, the Blue Jays were one of the first teams that popped into my head.

Entering the 2024 off-season, the Blue Jays are projected to have Ernie Clement start at third base for them on Opening Day of the 2025 season.

For a team looking to contend, and be in a competitive division like the AL East, that is a non-starter. They were so desperate for third base production throughout the year that they tried Vladimir Guerrero Jr. back at the hot corner which, to the surprise of very few, did not work out.

We have seen the Blue Jays being rumored to be in on a lot of big-name free agents over the past could of years to add some production to their starting lineup. Even with the second-half struggles, Bohm would provide the middle of the Blue Jays lineup with another proven bat that would allow them to free up their utility players to help out elsewhere.

Seattle Mariners

After the Blue Jays, the Mariners were another obvious team that was desperately searching for infield production after striking out the past couple of off-seasons with their “notable” additions of Kolten Wong and Jorge Polanco. Then, while he did have some success with the team prior to being traded to the Diamondbacks, Eugenio Suarez’s departure left another gaping hole in the infield.

Like the Blue Jays, no one on the Mariners’ current roster would stop them from making a move for Alec Bohm. Josh Rojas has done a good job for them since being acquired, but he is not someone you want to depend on throughout the entirety of a Major League season.

With arguably the best pitching staff in all of baseball, and not having the offensive firepower to get over the hump, the Mariners should be picking up the phone to see what it would take to get Alec Bohm to the Pacific North West.

What makes the Mariners the most interesting trade partner is that they have the pitching capital that the Phillies would likely be looking to get in return for Alec Bohm. Jerry DiPoto is also no stranger to making trades in general.

Houston Astros

With the Astros, this could go two different ways.

Even if they were to retain Alex Bregman to continue to be their starting third baseman, the Astros have a big need for a first baseman, which Bohm has played in the past. Their attempt to fill that spot with the signing of Jose Abreu last was a complete disaster. So much so that the former AL MVP was released.

Jon Singleton’s return to the Major Leagues was a great story, but he is not going to be the player that gets the Astros back into World Series conversations. Acquiring a low-salary player like Bohm would allow them to allocate funds elsewhere to help bolster their roster toward making them contenders again.

New York Yankees

The Yankees are entering this off-season with no bigger plan of attack then re-signing Juan Soto to be a long-time staple of their organization. After that, there are some other holes that will need to be filled. One of them is finding someone to fill in for Gleyber Torres’s spot in the lineup.

Emphasis on filling his spot in the lineup, and not on the field. Jazz Chisolm Jr. is still under contract with the Yankees for a couple more seasons and could move back to second base should the Yankees be able to find someone to man the hot corner going forward. Even if they wanted to keep Jazz at third and fill second base with another option, first base is also open.

Anthony Rizzo is no longer a part of the organization, DJ LeMahieu is not someone that they can depend on going forward, and Ben Rice is not the long-term answer for them at the position. Bohm’s ability to play both corner infield spots would fit this team and give them some sense of stability at the position as well.

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates are in an interesting spot with their current roster.

Their current rotation is headlined by one of the more dominate pitchers in Paul Skenes. After that, the rest of the rotation is compromised of very capable arms and plenty of reinforcements ready to step in as soon as the beginning of next season. The offense is the thing that needs some help, and that could come through the addition of Alec Bohm.

Ke’Bryan Hayes was signed to an extension back in 2022 after the Pirates decided he was going to be the third baseman of the future but, through inconsistent play and a slew of injuries, he just is not a dependable option right now. However, first base is where Bohm fits onto this roster.

There have been rumblings about moving Bryan Reynolds to first base after his struggles in the outfield, but there is no guarantee that it will work. Rowdy Tellez was famously DFA’d towards the end of last season and, as of right now, Billy Cook is projected to start for them at first base.

If the Pirates are going to look to compete in a division that is certainly open for the taking, a couple of moves are going to need to be made to make out this lineup. While Bohm might not be the game-changer that comes to mind, his low salary would still give them the flexibility to make other moves to address other holes on the team.

Detroit Tigers

This would probably be my favorite trade destination for Alec Bohm.

These two teams already have a history of not only trading with each other, but the familiarity between Dombrowski and the Tigers organization going back to when he was the GM for the team.

The Gritty Tigs put the league on notice with their postseason run in 2024 after being left for dead entering the month of August. After being carried by their pitching staff for most of the year, the team has been on record saying that they want to add some offense to this lineup, and it makes plenty of sense.

Jace Jung looked good in his small sample size at the big league level, but he should not stop you from adding a former All-Star to the lineup. A big outfield like Comerica Park plays well for an offensive profile like Alec Bohm and would give them another proven bat in the middle of their lineup. The best part about it would be that he would provide a left-handed heavy lineup with another right-handed bat.