Should Philadelphia Phillies Go After Eight-Time All-Star To Upgrade Third Base?

The Philadelphia Phillies could make a surprising trade if they go this route.

Sep 25, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; St. Louis Cardinals third base Nolan Arenado (28) reacts in the third inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

After the immediate speculation was Alec Bohm could be moved by the Philadelphia Phillies this offseason after their disappointingly early playoff exit, that thought has started to pick up some steam.

In fact, it's been reported the Phillies have him on the trade block and could be actively looking to deal him in an effort to upgrade this roster.

On the surface, it might seem strange to ship out an ascending cost controlled player who was just named to his first All-Star team, but more information coming out suggests the team is tired of dealing with his immature attitude.

If that's the case, then it would make sense for the front office to go after an established player who is either a free agent or also being dangled in potential trade deals.

Alex Bregman would be the perfect player for Philadelphia if they go the free agency route, but he would cost yet another top-of-the-market contract. With other clear areas of need across the roster, they might avoid handing out that type of money to one singular player.

Another option for the Phillies is finding Bohm's replacement in the same trade that ships him out of town, and Will Leitch of MLB.com thinks that could happen in a deal with the St. Louis Cardinals that would net Philadelphia Nolan Arenado.

"He could be an ideal fit with the Phillies, particularly if, as rumored, they're willing to trade Alec Bohm. Arenado is not even that expensive, with three years and $74 million remaining on his contract (not counting the portion the Rockies are paying). Planning on trying to win a World Series the next three seasons? Arenado certainly can help with that," he writes.

That's an interesting thought.

There's no doubt Arenado is one of the greatest third basemen that's ever played the game with eight All-Star selections, 10 Gold Gloves, six Platinum Gloves, and five Silver Slugger awards.

But considering he's slowing down at this point in his career with his OPS+ plummeting to the lowest number he's ever produced when excluding his rookie year and COVID-shortened season, that would make this potential deal concerning.

Still, Arenado provides solid at-bats at 33 years old with a slash line of .272/.325/.394 this past campaign while also rarely striking out with a strikeout rate of 14.5% last season and 14.8% for his career.

The issue with the former star slugger is his home run rate has declined to just 2.5%, while his hard hit rate was 31.7%, a drop off of roughly two and seven percentage points respectively.

Maybe it was just a down year for Arenado, and moving into a hitter-friendly ballpark would allow him to return to his 2022 form when he smashed 30 homers and drove in 103 runs to finish third in NL MVP voting.

The Phillies would likely need more than just a one-for-one swap in this scenario.

Perhaps they also ask for elite reliever Ryan Helsley and use him as a rental for this upcoming year.

That would certainly solve two issues Philadelphia is facing with lineup problems and a lack of high-end arms in their bullpen.

Either way, the speculation surrounding a Bohm trade continues to heat up, and something seems likely to get completed at some point this winter.