Philadelphia Phillies Not Trading All-Star Was Right Move This Offseason
![Oct 5, 2024; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm (28) reacts after the final out in the eighth inning against the New York Mets in game one of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park. Oct 5, 2024; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm (28) reacts after the final out in the eighth inning against the New York Mets in game one of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_4713,h_2651,x_0,y_178/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/inside_the_phillies/01jjr32kt7artme82bc2.jpg)
It has been a solid offseason so far for the Philadelphia Phillies despite some speculation about making major changes this winter.
After a disappointing end to 2024 for the Phillies, many believed that the team could look very different heading into 2025. However, despite losing to the New York Mets in the National League Division Series, Philadelphia will largely look like the same team going into next season.
This offseason, a couple of their notable moves were to trade for starting pitcher Jesus Luzardo and sign closer Jordan Romano. While they still could make a couple of minor moves, it seems unlikely that something major would happen at this point in the offseason for the Phillies.
One player who was talked about quite a bit coming into the winter was third baseman Alec Bohm. The 28-year-old was the third overall pick by Philadelphia in 2018 and finally had his breakout season in 2024.
Last year, the slugger was named to his first All-Star team after an excellent first half of the season. Before the All-Star break, Bohm totaled a .295 batting average, 11 home runs, 70 RBIs, and 33 doubles in 91 games played.
The 28-year-old had an amazing start to the year but unfortunately cooled off in a big way in the second half. After the All-Star break, Bohm totaled a .251 batting average, four home runs, 27 RBIS, and 11 doubles.
While his overall season numbers were still very good thanks to the first half of the year, the performance in the second half was certainly concerning.
Furthermore, Bohm was benched to start a game in the playoffs, further fueling speculation that he could be moved this winter.
However, the third baseman is still on the team, and moving him now seems unlikely.
Keeping him for now is the right move by Philadelphia. While his second half of the season was far from ideal, he was named to the All-Star team and was one of the best doubles hitters in baseball last season.
With two more years under team control as well, they don’t have to worry about paying him a ton of money, which is important considering how much the organization will be spending in 2025.
Since the 28-year-old totaled a WAR of 3.0 in 2024, finding a replacement that would be an upgrade from that number without spending a ton of money would have been hard. While Alex Bregman would be an upgrade, he would also cost a lot more money. Also, Bohm had a higher WAR than Nolan Arenado, whose name has been mentioned on the trade market.
Overall, based on his production from last year and contract status, the Phillies made the right move not to trade him.