It Sure Seems Like The Phillies Want To Trade Alec Bohm
Alec Bohm’s time in Philly has been a roller coaster. It started with him coming out of the gates on fire during his rookie season. He was tremendous in the Covid shortened 2020 season. But he did not even come close to matching that in the next two seasons. His OPS went from .881 in 2020, to barely over .700 the next two years.
His lowest point came in a game where he had 3 errors, got booed, and a hot mic picked up him saying “I f**king hate this place” under his breath. But oddly that moment, and his owning up to it, made Phillies fans fall in love with him a bit. He eventually found his swing, having a much improved season in 2023, and then he made his 1st All-Star game last season.
But the playoffs in 2024 were a new low for Bohm. Coming off a game 1 loss, Bohm was benched. Thomson sat him in game 2 saying he liked the energy Sosa would bring to the lineup. But if you read between the lines, you can get to what Thomson really meant. He did not like the energy Bohm was bringing. Essentially he didn’t like seeing Bohm, who was mired in a slump dating back to early August, pout after every out, and slam his helmet.
What made it even worse, is that Bohm did not respond. Thomson pinch hit with Bohm in game 2. He popped up the first pitch he saw. Continuing a trend at Bohm swinging early in the count, and producing weak outs. Bohm went on to go 1 for 13 in the series, with his highlight being a fielder’s choice that led to an error and a run. But it was yet another ball that failed to leave the infield for Bohm.
All of that has lost Bohm some favor in the Phillies clubhouse. The poor attitude, and the long slumps, have worn thin, and it sounds like those moments might have been his final ones in a Phillies jersey.
Alec Bohm The Subject Of Trade Rumors
Multiple MLB reporters have now come out and said Bohm is on the trade block. Jeff Passan reported that the Phillies are “looking to shake up their team” and are shopping Bohm. Bob Nightengale wrote that he could see any of Alec Bohm, Brandon Marsh, or Nick Castellanos being moved. Buster Olney then went on The Baseball Tonight Podcast and reported that Rival Execs think that Bohm will be traded.
“What I’m hearing from other teams is yeah, he’s gonna be traded. Like he’s out there a bunch. And they say, you know, the Phillies have been around long enough that they can squash that if they wanted to. They can go out and whisper to reporters that Bohm’s not really available. They’re not doing that. So the assumption with other teams is that Bohm is going to be traded.“
That is 3 prominent reporters in the MLB, all saying the same thing. The Phillies would like to move Bohm. As Olney mentioned, the Phillies could easily squash this. Olney came out himself last season and threw water on the rumor that the Phillies wanted to trade Castellanos. But no one is dousing the Bohm rumors yet.
Phillies Sick Of Alec Bohm’s Childish Behavoir
On top of that, there is a lot of talk that the Phillies are sick of Alec Bohm’s act. The childish behavior has worn thin in the front office and in the clubhouse. AJ Peirsynski said on his show “Foul Territory” that he has talked to people around the Phillies, and they think Alec Bohm needs to grow up.
The benching in the playoffs proves that to be true. The pouting, the helmet slamming, and the antics, clearly pay a part in that. AJ is not the only person to say this, he is just the latest.
Bohm is 28 years old. He is not a young player anymore. This will be his 6th year in the league. But he is still acting like one. From everything we are hearing, the Phillies have had enough of it. It is why Thomson benched him, and why he is now the subject of trade rumors.
Who Would Replace Him?
It is one thing to say to move him. But then you still need to find someone to play 3rd Base. Aidan Miller is not ready to make that leap. 2026 would be the earliest you see him, and 2027 might be a more realistic projection.
We have seen Edmundo Sosa, while a quality bench player, does not hold up when he plays every day. Short of moving Trea Turner to 3rd Base, the Phillies do not have a candidate in-house to replace Bohm at 3rd next season.
The obvious option would be signing Alex Bregman. He is the top free agent at 3rd this offseason. Bregman would offer an upgrade. A slight one at the plate, where he has more pop, and gets on base more often, but a massive one in the field. Bregman has a Gold Glove and is regularly one of the best fielding 3B in the league, while Bohm is middle of the road at best when it comes to the glove.
The question is cost. Bohm is still in arbitration. He is projected to cost around $8.1 million this season. Meanwhile, Bregman is projected to get a 6-year deal worth around $130 million. Is that huge jump in cost worth the upgrade Bregman offers?
I think to really evaluate it, you need to look at their playoff performances. Bohm has been bad all 3 years in the playoffs. Bohm’s playoff slash line is .214/.295/.333/.629. His SLG was under .400 all 3 seasons, and he has just 10 extra-base hits in 34 games.
Meanwhile, Bregman has made the playoffs 8 times. His SLG was over .500 3 times, over .600 once, and only dipped below .400 3 times, with one of those 3 times being just a 2-game series where he hit .375. He has at times been a playoff hero. The Phillies saw him in action firsthand in the 2022 World Series where he finished with an OPS over .900.
Also, for anyone worried about age, he is only 2 years older than Bohm. The age is not a major difference. Bregman has just been around the league longer, but he is not significantly older than Bohm. People just think Bohm is young because he acts like he is young.
Bregman is an upgrade. But what happens if they trade Bohm and strike out on him? The other free agent options at 3rd are not great. Eugenio Suarez is the only other starting 3B out there, and he is 33 and brings much of the same issues the Phillies are already dealing with in their lineup. Mainly he strikes out a ton. But even at 33, he still hit 33 HRs for the D Backs last year and hits those HRs against both Lefties and Righties. Still, they don’t need a another HR or bust guy.
If they did trade Bohm, it would likely become Bregman or Bust. Unless there is some trade out there no one is talking about, which is always a possibility with Dave Dombrowski.
So What Happens With Alec Bohm?
It certainly sounds like he will be moved. There is too much smoke there. Now just because they want to trade him, does not mean a trade will happen. They could find out there is not enough of a market for him.
But it feels like there will be a market for him. Playoff struggles and poor attitude aside, he is 28, has 2 more years of team control, and is coming off an All-Star season. He offers cheap production for multiple years, and a team that is not around him might be willing to overlook the childish behavior that has him out of the Phillies’ good graces.
What would return look like? That part is hard to tell. Do the Phillies look to swap him for another Major League player? Is he a piece to bring back a proven player, like Garrett Crochet of the White Sox? That part we have less info on. But the Phillies should be able to get a good return for Bohm whichever route they go.
What we do know is multiple trustworthy voices around the league are telling you he could be traded. That is not nothing, and Phillies fans should prepare themselves for a Alec Bohm trade at some point this offseason.
After multiple playoff failures, the Phillies need a shakeup. It looks like moving Bohm will be the way they shake things up.
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