Ken Rosenthal on Alec Bohm: ‘I Would Expect He Will Not Be on the Phillies' in 2025

Managing Editor

Tuesday, December 17, 2024

May 31, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third base Alec Bohm (28) tags up on first base after hitting a single during the second inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports Bill Streicher

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported this past weekend that when the A's asked the Phillies about Alec Bohm earlier this offseason, Dave Dombrowski and company wanted All-Star closer Mason Miller in return. That was a conversation ender, per Rosenthal's reporting.

However, Rosenthal said in an appearance on "Foul Territory" Tuesday that he still believes Bohm will ultimately be traded this offseason.

"Alec Bohm ... the Phillies clearly want to trade him," Rosenthal said. "They clearly have not been successful in their attempts so far. I would expect he will not be on the Phillies by the start of the season."

Will the @Phillies trade Alec Bohm this winter? @Ken_Rosenthal thinks it will happen... pic.twitter.com/8M8UX8GlIX
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) December 17, 2024

Rosenthal then went on to mention the Seattle Mariners — a team with arguably the best pitching staff in baseball, but an offense that finished 21st in runs scored last season — as a trade partner that could make sense.

"I don't know where he's going," Rosenthal said. "Could he go to Seattle in some kind of an expanded package for [Luis] Castillo? That would seem to make sense. It wouldn't be 1-for-1, there would have to be other pieces going back and forth. But, Seattle needs offense. He is an offensive player. So perhaps that's something that could ultimately transpire. I don't know, I'm just guessing there."

Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reported earlier this offseason that the Phillies wanted one of the two aces on the Mariners — either George Kirby or Logan Gilbert — when asked about Bohm. Whether that was the case or not, the Phillies were never going to get one of those two arms for Bohm.

Castillo is worth discussing because the Mariners are so desperate for offense. Trading Castillo in a deal for Bohm would not only give them their third baseman for the next two seasons, but it would also free up the $72.45 million he's owed over the next three seasons. Whether the Phillies would want to take on most or all of that might be a different discussion. Castillo also would have to approve the deal, as he has a full no-trade clause. But the 31-year-old is a three-time All-Star, and is coming off of a season where he posted a 3.64 ERA across 175 1/3 innings pitched. Adding him for a few seasons could help to soften the blow if the Phillies lose Ranger Suárez in free agency next offseason. Heck, it might free the Phillies up to seriously entertain trade offers for Suárez now if they believed it could help them to improve at another position on the roster.

If the Phillies trade Bohm, they are going to have to backfill third base. It seems unlikely that in a year with World Series aspirations that the Phillies would trade Bohm and then have some combination of Edmundo Sosa, Kody Clemens and Weston Wilson platoon there. In this week's On Pattison Phillies Mailbag, Anthony SanFilippo and I discussed how the Phillies could go about doing that.

It should be noted that at last week's MLB Winter Meetings, Phillies manager Rob Thomson had this to say of trade rumors involving Bohm, giving out some of the details of a phone conversation he recently had with the 28-year-old.

"I just wanted to let him know that we're not shopping him," Thomson said, according to Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer. "But because he's a good player, there's a whole lot of interest in him from other teams, so obviously you have to do your homework and talk to people and listen."

Call it what you want, there's been a little too much smoke from credible reporters to make you think that the Phillies aren't seriously considering shaking things up by trading Bohm.

"But it seems to me that at some point, the Phillies are going to do something," Rosenthal continued. "Their fans are getting impatient, I understand that. But Dombrowski is not the type to end the season the way they did and then come back with the same team the next year, or effectively the same team. That's not happening."