Say Goodbye to Alec Bohm, Phillies Fans

There's a lot on uncertainty currently surrounding the Philadelphia Phillies, but one thing is for sure: something has to change.

They can't "run it back," they already did that this past season and it didn't work. There's needs to be some sort of shakeup, the question is just: where? Offensively, you're obviously not touching star players like Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner, or JT Realmuto. There had been suggestions to move Nick Castellanos, but that doesn't make much sense considering he was pretty much the only guy who showed up in the Postseason. Bryson Stott's coming off a down year and his value is at an all-time low, there's arguments to be made for trading away Brandon Marsh and/or Johan Rojas, but the big name that is actually being floated is Alec Bohm.

Now, I make the important distinction of "actually" when discussing Alec Bohm. I make this point frequently, but it's only because I think it's a paramount one to have. There is a huge difference between what the fans think and what the Phillies front office thinks. Someone on Twitter could lay out why it makes sense to trade Trea Turner and get a specific radio host behind that movement - not naming names - and next thing you know, social media is buzzing with Trea Turner trade proposals.

But that doesn't mean any of that is real.

I can tell you for a fact the Phillies have no interest in trading Trea Turner. Just because some knucklehead said it doesn't mean it's true and that goes for any of the names on the Phillies roster, except for one: Alec Bohm.

Bohm has been incredibly steady in the middle of the Phillies order the past two seasons. In fact, he might be underappreciated. He doesn't have incredible power and that's reflected in his numbers (he has just 35 home runs in the past two seasons). He's driven in 97 runs each of the past two seasons, hit for an average right around .280, was among the league leaders in doubles this year with 44, has improved his defense tremendously, and after a 2021 campaign that saw him striking out at a rate of 26.6%, that number has decreased each year, down to just 14.2% this past season (among the league's best).

So, why would you want to trade this guy?

Only if you feel as though you can make an upgrade. Bohm's been one of the better third basemen in the league over the past two seasons and probably the most underrated one. He just left a sour taste in our mouths with a downright abysmal Postseason performance - but so did everyone else on this team! In the playoffs, Bohm went 1-13 (terrible, I know), but Kyle Schwarber went 2-16 and nobody is running him out of town. You have to be very aware of what Bohm is:

But, again, it's this push and pull between what the fans think and what the front office thinks. I like Alec Bohm. I think he has a poor temper, can be very immature, and I cannot stand when he slams his equipment like a little kid at a travel ball game. I don't know why that hasn't been corrected yet - he's 28 years old, which is an important point. Bohm isn't some young kid. He's not getting any younger (as far as I know). So I don't know if it's fair to say he will improve.

But if the Phillies think they can get something better than him, obviously anyone with a brain knows that makes sense. Enter Alex Bregman.

Now that's an idea. But how much money will Bregman want? I don't think it makes sense for the Phillies to shell out another multi-year, multi-hundred-million dollar contract (to a 30-year-old, nonetheless). Only time will tell. The 2024 Winter Meetings begin in just a few days - Sunday, December 8 - where we will start to get some answers.