Phillies Offseason Stay or Go: Alec Bohm

Dave Dombrowski began the MLB offseason by dismissing any fatal flaw in the core of a lineup that’s reached playoffs in four consecutive seasons. The Philadelphia Phillies will focus heavily on retaining core free agents Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto this winter, but they’ll also explore the trade market for Alec Bohm.

Bohm’s name landed in just about every hot stove rumor last offseason. The Phillies ultimately brought him back for the 2025 season, but an unideal fit and an estimated $10.3 million due in his final year under club control will push Dombrowski to explore the trade market again.

Will the Alec Bohm era in Philadelphia finally end at age 29 after six seasons of unresolved questions?

Bohm’s all-around offensive game lands toward the middle of MLB hitters. He finished the 2025 season with an OPS+ of 102, two ticks above the 100 league median and marginally below his 104 career number.

The former third-overall pick hit .287 last season, which ranked in the 86th percentile of qualified MLB hitters. His ability to hit to all fields has brought situational value to a lineup that’s sometimes depended too heavily on free swinging sluggers in recent seasons. However, his RBI total dropped to 59 last season after he drove in 97 runs apiece in 2023 and 2024.

Bohm's underwhelming career home runs totals distract from his ability to hit for average considering the lightened emphasis on batting average in the modern game.

Kevin Cooney spoke on 97.5 The Fanatic about a source in the organization who questioned a flaw in Bohm’s swing that’s never been corrected during his time with the Phillies. The 6-foot-5 righty's flat swing to the pull side limits his ability to hit for power.

The numbers dramatically reflect Bohm’s inability to develop the swing. Only 7.7% of pitches he put in play last season were hit in the air to his pull side. The rate fell drastically short of the 16.1% MLB average.

Bohm flashed gap power with 44 doubles in 2024, which tied for fourth in the majors. He dropped to only 18 in 2025 due to both a lower percentage of extra-base hits and injuries that limited him to fewer at-bats.

His first half splits in 2024 will also force potential trade partners to think twice about his value. The larger sample size of his career doesn't match the breakout that Philadelphia thought they were watching during Bohm's hottest stretch as a major leaguer.

While Bohm deserves credit for improving into a competent everyday third baseman who plugged a hole in the club's defensive alignment, he won’t stick on the roster simply because of his glove. He also struggles to run the bases with a sprint speed in the 26th percentile of all MLB players.

The Phillies once looked at Bohm as a potential homegrown lineup centerpiece. However, he and his “DayCare” contemporaries Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh have brought value to the lineup without quite reaching high expectations.

Bohm’s attitude came into serious question in 2024 after Rob Thomson sat him in the National League Division Series looking for better energy in the playoff lineup.

Thomson publicly challenged Bohm’s ability to handle the inevitable highs and lows of the major league entering 2025. A manager that consistently sticks up for players spoke after the season about how his third baseman achieved the goal.

Bohm deserves credit for rebounding after a tough April when he posted a .526 OPS. His status with the Phillies was on thin ice early in the season, but he ultimately overcame injuries to contribute to a lineup that finished eighth in the majors in runs scored.

However, don't make the mistake of thinking Bohm completely eliminated the type of negative energy that’s impacted the mood of the dugout in the past.

After the Phillies limped through an ugly 1-9 stretch in early June, they returned to Citizens Bank Park on shaky ground. Thomson spoke on June 9 at a crucial point in the season about Schwarber’s impressive leadership in the clubhouse. However, he hesitated to offer similar praise to Bohm, Stott, or Marsh when prompted.

Bohm stepped to the plate later the same evening in the seventh inning. He watched strike three soar past him in a high-leverage spot. He slammed his helmet and bat in the dirt at home plate aggressively. His next at-bat came in the 10th inning with nobody out and two ducks on the pond in a potential walk-off scenario. He bounced into a double play that extended a game the Phillies ultimately won.

The moment of frustration wasn’t an isolated incident in 2025, and the Phillies shouldn’t privately consider his negative demeanor a thing of the past.

Dombrowski emphasized his “openmindedness” to shaking up the roster after the 2024 season. He dangled Bohm on the trade market, but the limited value forced the Phillies to avoid trading a serviceable everyday player simply for the sake of subtraction.

Jayson Stark told 97.5 The Fanatic that moving Alec Bohm this offseason is at the top of the front office’s to-do list. The Phillies won't get an impressive return in a deal with Bohm as the centerpiece, however.

Dombrowski presented Bohm too boldly last winter as the reigning All-Star Game starter at the hot corner. He wasn't satisfied with the return offers, and potential trade partners now have even more reason to question the 29-year-old’s value after six MLB seasons.

Phillies fans have heard about the embattled third baseman’s shaky status plenty of times over the past six seasons. However, Bohm’s always somehow survived.

The organization has realistic internal replacement options. While Otto Kemp didn't excel to the point of stardom in his first big league stint last season, the organization praises him as a tough competitor with a solid power bat. The Phillies also have confidence in Edmundo Sosa as a part-time player to help lighten the workload on a young player like Kemp. While prospect Aidan Miller isn't likely to make the big league club out of spring training, the organization considers him a long-term option of the left side of the infield.

Dombrowski will attempt to piece together a complicated offseason puzzle that keeps core members in place and adds more strength to their lineup. The Phillies will prioritize re-signing Schwarber and Realmuto, and former Gold Glove third baseman Alex Bregman is one of their most sensible fits in free agency.

How does that puzzle fit together with Alec Bohm at third base making an estimated $10 million with clear offensive flaws that are unlikely to change at age 29?

It probably doesn’t.