Players highlighted in a “make or break” feature typically fall into one of several familiar categories. Sometimes it’s a former star prospect lacking a chance to prove he belongs in the major leagues, sometimes it’s an established star trying to bounce back after a year or two, or a veteran trying to get back on track after a long-term injury.
alec spring It doesn’t exactly fit any of these models. In fact, one could argue that Bohm is already “made” in the sense that he was an All-Star in 2024, is coming off four seasons as the Phillies’ top choice at third base (including a part-time first baseman), and has posted an fWAR of 8.0 over 560 games and 2,352 plate appearances from 2022-25. He’s averaged more than a 105 wRC+ at the plate over the last four seasons, and Bohm’s glovework at third base has improved from terrible to at least acceptable, or pretty good by any measure you choose.
This is a solid major league player record and a resume that Bohm is rightly proud of having accomplished. “In the grand scheme of things, only a very small number of players who play in the big leagues are not often referred to arbitration.“Bohm recently told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.”That makes the list of people who go through arbitration and hit free agency even smaller. And then when you talk about men living longer than 10 years, the list gets even smaller.”
“If you zoom out a bit and look at it from another perspective, I’ve done a lot of great things. I’ve had a pretty good career and I’ve gone further than a lot of people can say. I’m definitely proud of that and I want to continue to build on that..”
Bohm’s problem is in some ways a problem of framing. Bohm could be described as a decent or decent player… or he could be described as a “just” decent or decent player. The Phillies weren’t really hurt by Bohm earning a regular spot in the lineup, and he wasn’t at fault for the team’s failure to get over the hump of a World Series championship. (Bohm’s .225/.327/.333 slash line over 150 postseason plate appearances isn’t great, but he’s not the only Philadelphia hitter to struggle in the playoffs.)
But Bohm’s production has always been roughly leveled out, giving the Phillies the feeling they could do better at the hot corner. It also doesn’t help that Bohm perceives himself as a top prospect and the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 draft. Rosenthal points out that Bohm’s production has improved on many of the other prominent names in that draft class, but the infielder is (rightly or wrongly) a victim of the high expectations that come with being a top draft pick. In a sense, Bohm represents a larger problem clouding the successful run of Phillies baseball. The team didn’t get much out of their farm system, as the team was mostly built around free agents and trades.
Along these same lines, Bohm has been the subject of trade rumors for the past two years. Bohm’s 3.4 fWAR season in 2024 was the best of his career. He hit .280/.332/.448 with 15 home runs over 606 PA while posting a 113 wRC+ and +4 Outs Above Average as a third baseman. The downside to his career season was that Bohm underperformed badly after the All-Star break, and the Phillies’ response to this breakout campaign was to purchase Bohm to address other needs.
Teams like the Athletics, Mariners, Royals, Angels and White Sox have all been linked to Bohm-related rumors in the 2024-25 offseason, with the idea being that the Phils will move Bohm and sign one of the following. Alex Bregman or willie adams Playing third base. Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski at least set his sights high in Bohm’s shopping offer, and perhaps he set his sights too high. george kirby, logan gilbert, mason millerand garrett crochet These were some of the players the Phillies wanted in return for a trade package involving Bohm.
There haven’t been many public reports on Bohm’s market this offseason. That’s probably because Bohm’s production dipped to a 105 wRC+ (.287/.331/.409, 11 home runs over 464 PA) and a fractured left rib and shoulder inflammation kept him out of 120 games. Philadelphia was again considering upgrading their third baseman, but he was running out of time on his contract. Beau Bichette In a scenario that turns Bohm into a solid trade chip for the remainder of the winter.
The best prospect in the future Aidan Miller He is expected to make his MLB debut sometime in 2026 and assume an everyday role as a second or third baseman by 2027. This puts pressure on the second baseman. Bryson Stott First of all, this is a more direct threat to Bohm since he is scheduled to become a free agent next offseason. As Rosenthal said, “At this point, Bohm is playing for a lot more teams than he ever did before.” Depending on how the Phillies feel about Miller’s ability to contribute immediately to the major leagues, there is a non-zero chance that Bohm will be dealt during the season.
Bohm said he wasn’t worried about trade speculation or impending free agency and was just concerned about playing. “I don’t take anything personally and think too deeply about it. Everything was out of my control. I can’t do anything to stop it… .I don’t boil it. That’s just part of the business side.said Bohm.
A mid-season trade would make Bohm ineligible for a qualifying offer, eliminating draft compensation from his free-agent case. Assuming Bohm remains a Phillie through all of 2026, a qualifying offer may be moot anyway, as it would take a significant increase in production for Philadelphia to consider issuing Bohm a QO. If Bohm has a normal season, he will likely accept the offer and receive a big one-year payday (QO is worth $22.025 billion this year) rather than dealing with the vagaries of his market and the uncertainty of how the 2026-27 offseason will be disrupted by inevitable shutdowns. Adding $22 million or so in salary to an already high salary likely wouldn’t be in the Phillies’ best interest when Miller could play third base for minimum salary.
Qualifying offers aside, Bohm is the type of mid-level free agent who has been pressured on the market in the past. Teams without a lot of salary headroom may feel they can replicate Bohm’s production to some degree with cheaper veterans or two-platoon options. A team that spends more could take the Phillies’ approach and find a more prominent name at third base, leaving Bohm a fallback option at best. Between the shutdown and potential changes in the new collective bargaining agreement, teams likely won’t make early commitments to mid-level players like Bohm until they know exactly how baseball’s business structure will change.
Of course, the easiest way for Bohm to change the narrative is to have a great 2026 season. He needs to hit better against right-handers and be more consistent throughout the year, which is understandably easy to do, but we’ve seen flashes of just how good Bohm can be when he was on one of his hot streaks. Again, I don’t think Bohm is a bad player. His hard-hit percentage is solid, and he’s borderline excellent at preventing contact and strikeouts. Increasing his walk and barrel rates to average would make Bohm a more dangerous threat at the plate.
Bohm turns 30 in August, and he could benefit from a significantly smaller number of free agent third basemen next winter. Teams have shown they’re willing to pay for star-level production or even star-level potential, but it’s a trickier free agent environment for players like Bohm who have a pretty high floor but appear to have a limited ceiling. For the 2024 version of Bohm, a two-year deal (up to three years) with an average annual value of about $10 million seems reasonable, so he’ll have to at least get past that number to avoid a one-year prove-it type offer next winter.
