Phillies MLB Offseason Targets: Alex Bregman

Dave Dombrowski faces a remarkably similar option that he considered one year ago when his MLB offseason of “openmindedness” didn’t materialize into a major change to his club’s makeup.

The Philadelphia Phillies will – again – strongly consider trading Alec Bohm. Top free agent Alex Bregman is – again – an obvious and intriguing option to replace Bohm as the Phillies third baseman. 

The right-handed Bregman would theoretically slot behind Bryce Harper in the lineup with a solid power bat, good plate discipline, and a defensive upgrade at the hot corner. A free agent acquisition would also please his former LSU roommate Aaron Nola.

The Phillies have loaded up their payroll with Harper, Trea Turner, and other veteran hitters. They will evaluate whether handing a lucrative contract estimated at six years, $171 million to another infielder over 30 fits their complex MLB offseason puzzle.

Bregman hit the ground running during his first season with the Boston Red Sox in 2025. His .821 OPS was his highest since 2019, and he established himself as an important voice in the clubhouse for a franchise that hadn’t met its potential in previous seasons.

He surged to a .299 batting average and a glowing .938 OPS through 51 games. However, a quad injury then pushed the three-time All-Star to the injured list for eight weeks. While Bregman still posted respectable season numbers in 114 total games, his .250 average and .724 OPS after returning to the lineup on July 11 seemed more ordinary for an aging player.

Bregman blossomed with outstanding offensive numbers by age 25 before most MLB players typically reach their peaks. He finished fifth in AL MVP voting in 2018 and second in 2019 with the Houston Astros.

While he’s still remained toward the top offensive tier of MLB third basemen, his numbers have dipped more recently. The Astros got caught stealing signs from opposing dugouts after the 2019 season, although it’s impossible to quantify the full impact of the (now) missing advantage.

Bregman’s baserunning is an element that has faded from his all-around value. He stole 17 bases in 2017 but only nine in the past six seasons combined.

He’s established a strong reputation defensively at the hot corner, winning his first career Gold Glove in his final season in Houston in 2024.

Rob Thomson answered candidly at his end-of-season media availability about his preference for an offseason addition.

A right-handed bat might balance a Phillies lineup dependent on Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper for most of its power. MLB offseason matchmakers will point to free agent slugger Pete Alonso as another option, but Bregman seemingly fits the lineup puzzle more smoothly with Bohm’s future in question.

Philadelphia's aggressive lineup is susceptible to cold spells against teams that follow the book on how to shut them down, especially with low breaking pitches.

Bregman has consistently graded well in advanced plate discipline metrics throughout his career. The two-time World Series champion ranked in the 95th percentile of qualified MLB hitters in chase rate at 19.8%, the 92nd percentile with a 15% whiff rate, and the 88th percentile with a 14.1% strikeout rate last season.

The Phillies by comparison ranked 28th in the majors as a team in chase rate at 30.3%, 19th in whiff rate at 25.7%, and 19th in total strikeouts with 1337.

If Bregman replaced Bohm at third base, the Phillies would also benefit from the type of power style they haven’t seen from Bohm in the middle of the order in recent seasons.

The Phillies have identified a flaw in Bohm’s flat swing that prevents legitimate pull power, as discussed by Kevin Cooney on 97.5 The Fanatic. Bregman conversely pulled the ball toward left field on all but four of his 18 home runs last season, a characteristic that’s consistent with his career tendencies. 

The lure of the right-handed power bat will tempt Dombrowski, but Bregman doesn’t flawlessly fit Thomson’s ideal profile. The baseball lifer encourages most of his hitters to use all fields, an approach Bregman hasn’t mastered throughout his 10-year MLB career. He hit the ball to the opposite field on only 17.5% of his contact last season, well below the 25.1% MLB average.

The Red Sox landed Bregman on the free agent market last winter. They’ll look to retain him for the 2026 season despite his decision to decline his player option. 

The Phillies, meanwhile, enter the MLB offseason with consequential free agent decisions on Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto, which will enact a domino effect on the rest of their roster.

Dombrowski tempered expectations for a splashy offseason by pointing out that John Middleton won’t enter 2026 with a lucrative $400 million payroll. His vote of confidence in "core" hitters suggests that the Phillies won’t chase an expensive free agent like Alex Bregman.

However, if the Phillies lost Schwarber or Realmuto (or both), how would Middleton reallocate the money he planned to spend on the core hitters Dombrowski was referring to? Would shedding Nick Castellanos or Taijuan Walker create additional flexibility?

The offseason flow chart leaves such a wide variety of outcomes. Jayson Stark told 97.5 The Fanatic that he expects the Phillies to prioritize trading Alec Bohm “right at the top of their to-do list.” While the organization thinks highly of Otto Kemp as an internal option, they’d face a very tempting investment in Alex Bregman.

It’d be hard to keep the checkbook closed when one of the best hitters on the free agent market plays a position of need and happens to hit from a side of the plate the manager specifically identified as a weakness.

All advanced stats courtesy of StatCast, Baseball Reference, and FanGraphs.