Philadelphia Phillies Star Reflects On Being Dangled In Offseason Trade Talks

The Philadelphia Phillies held onto their All-Star trade candidate and he was asked about it this week.

Michael Brauner | Feb 14, 2025

Aug 24, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm (28) throws to first base during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

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Philadelphia Phillies

Despite it looking unlikely for large parts of the last few months, the Philadelphia Phillies held onto their All-Star third baseman.

From the outset of the offseason, Alec Bohm being shipped out of town felt more like an if than a when. Performance which declined in the second half of the campaign culminating in a playoff benching and followed up by questions of maturity aren't exactly a recipe to hold onto your good graces within an organization.

As time went on however, Bohm was never moved, and with the team now in the full swing of things in camp, it appears to be a certainty that he will be on the roster at least at the start of the season.

The 28-year-old has gone from looking like he'd overstayed his welcome to being praised by the higher ups with manager Rob Thomson stating this week that his third baseman has 'grown up' and looks and seems like a different guy.

Whether or not that's actually accurate remains to be seen, but naturally Bohm was asked about the swirling rumors throughout the winter and told media he simply kept his head down and kept doing what he had to do in order to get ready for the season, whether it was with the Phillies or someone else.

"I was pretty checked out of it all. It's just part of what we do," Bohm said via NBC Sports Philadelphia. "There were points where I guess I didn't know what was gonna happen. I didn't really read into it too much, I didn't really try to find the answer. Whatever was gonna happen was gonna happen...If I were to be really focused on all that stuff, I guess I could but I'm not out there reading rankings lists and doing all that stuff. It's not what I'm focused on."

Bohm went on to reiterate that he loves playing in Philadelphia and has no desire to go anywhere else.

"I feel like I'm appreciated by everybody in here, so whatever circulates around, I'm not too concerned about," he said. "Obviously, any given time, anything in this game can happen...But at the same time, I love being here and I don't want to go anywhere else really. It's just part of the business side of things."

In the first half of the 2024 season, Bohm looked to be on pace for a career year. Before the midway point, he slashed .295/.348/.482, good for an OPS of .830 with 11 home runs and 70 RBI, numbers which placed him in his first-ever All-Star game.

After the break however, Bohm slashed .251/.299/.382 with just four home runs and 27 RBI, all culminating in a disastrous September in which his OPS plummeted to .502.

Which version of Bohm is a more accurate representation of the kind of player he is at this stage of his career is yet to be determined, but the fact his attitude issues seem to be fixed and he has entered camp with a likely renewed appreciation for the team and the city are all a good start.

Bohm's performance early in the year will be under a close microscope both from fans and from the team, though there appears to be reason to believe it will be significantly improved from what the back half of the 2024 season looked like.

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