Third base not exactly flush with options if Phillies do trade Bohm

The one Phillie who has appeared in more trade rumors than any other this offseason is Alec Bohm, but what if the right offer doesn't materialize?

This is not a simple situation. The Phillies are trying to improve offensively despite the perception of being locked into their starters at seven of nine everyday spots. The only two unclaimed positions are left field and center field, and Bohm has trade value, thus the exploration of a deal that could bring the Phils help elsewhere.

But what if they don't find a reasonable return? Bohm has trade value because he's a good player entering his prime, a seemingly safe bet to hit .280-plus with high doubles and RBI totals.

What would even be the right offer? A less streaky third baseman whose bat is equally productive? It's not as if the free-agent market is teeming with those. Alex Bregman is the best in the class at the hot corner, but after him, you're looking at a huge drop-off to platoon or bench players like Josh Rojas, Gio Urshela, J.D. Davis and Jon Berti.

Signing Bregman would indeed upgrade the Phillies at third base and would allow them to move Bohm either before or after that signing. It would give them the flexibility to flip him for a comparably productive player at any position of need — outfield, starting pitching, bullpen, even a package of prospects that could be used in a separate trade for a win-now player.

But that would require signing Bregman, who might command $175 million or more. After Juan Soto, he is probably the best all-around free agent available.

Absent a Bregman signing, there is no clear path to upgrading from Bohm. And Dave Dombrowski is not the type of executive to make a move just to make a move.

Willy Adames, a free-agent shortstop, could be another option if he or Trea Turner is willing to switch positions. There have been indications that Adames, a superior defender at shortstop to Turner who did have a down year with the glove by his standard in 2024, is willing to play third base if needed.

If true, is an Adames-Turner left side of the infield meaningfully better than Bohm-Turner, especially when factoring in the nine-figure contract Adames is expected to find? Adames can hit for power but there are flaws in his offensive profile. He's belted 87 home runs the last three years while hitting .236 with a .314 on-base percentage and striking out 168 times per year. For reference, the only Phillie with that many K's last season was Kyle Schwarber. Dombrowski and Rob Thomson have talked since the season ended about wanting the team to put the ball in play more and utilize the entire field. Replacing a low-strikeout guy with a line-drive approach for a more boom-bust power option would run counter to that idea.

Trade options

Nolan Arenado, 33, is available for a trade but is not nearly the player he was offensively or defensively at his peak. His .719 OPS in 2024 was barely above the league average, he hit 10 fewer home runs with 20 fewer RBI than any prior full season, and his advanced offensive metrics were even worse. He's also owed $74 million over the next three years. Seems like an easy pass.

Yandy Diaz is a quality hitter who played both corner infield positions for the Rays from 2019-23 but spent all of 2024 at first base. He's also 33 and dealt with knee and hamstring injuries to end the last two seasons so he's probably not moving back across the diamond on a regular basis.

Colorado's Ryan McMahon could make sense as a trade target if the Phillies flip Bohm for something else. McMahon was an All-Star for the first time in 2024 and is a stud, elite-level defender owed $44 million over the next three years. Offensively, he's basically settled in as a .245/.325/.425 hitter with 30 doubles and 20 homers. Bohm is the better hitter, McMahon better in the field. It's hard to say whether or not this would be an upgrade at third base.

The Padres might listen on Luis Arraez, and he would be exactly the type of all-fields, high-batting average, low-strikeout hitter the Phillies are looking to supplement their offense with, but it would force them to reconfigure their entire infield. The Marlins traded Arraez, in part, because they no longer felt he could capably play second base. He is really a singles-hitting DH, which is how a guy can win the batting title while producing one of the league's lowest WAR values.

Arraez was more of a first baseman than second baseman in 2024. He would only make sense for the Phillies if they had visions of playing him at second and either moving Bryson Stott to third base or Turner to third with Stott at short. An unrealistic scenario brought up only because the Padres are constantly wheeling and dealing and Arraez would be an ideal offensive piece for the Phillies (along with 29 other teams).

A factor in all of this is Aidan Miller, the Phils' first-round pick in 2023 and one of the game's top infield prospects. He has been held out of trade talks and the franchise has high hopes for him, though he's 20 years old with five games above the Single A level. His play in 2025 could expedite his arrival but he's not being relied upon to help the Phillies win major-league games just yet.

Front offices arrive in Dallas this weekend for the Winter Meetings (Dec. 8-12) and the Phillies will be busy. They've likely already laid plenty of groundwork on trades and will continue those conversations at the Hilton Anatole. There will be teams interested in Bohm, and that move — whether he's traded or kept — will essentially unlock the rest of the Phillies' offseason.