Star Second Baseman Seen as Someone Philadelphia Phillies Should Trade

With the Philadelphia Phillies looking at potential ways to upgrade this team heading into next year, their star second baseman is seen as someone they should trade.

Aug 26, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies second base Bryson Stott (5) reacts after striking out during the sixth inning against the Houston Astros during the fourth inning at Citizens Bank Park / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

This winter feels different for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Despite losing in the World Series two years ago, everything felt like things were pointing up after the team got red-hot and played their way into a Wild Card appearance and made a deep run.

Even following their disappointing elimination in the NLCS last season, the team and fanbase felt like if they cleaned up just a couple of things they would be able to put everything together and win the championship.

Well, after losing in the NLDS to the New York Mets in a borderline embarrassing fashion, the feel-good atmosphere around this baseball team is no longer there.

Instead, fans are clamoring for changes to be made, but after the Phillies announced they are bringing back the entire coaching staff and are even extending the contract of manager Rob Thomson, it doesn't feel like there is going to be much change.

That's partly because of the deals they have on the books.

With multiple expensive players on their payroll who aren't that attractive to be moved at this point in their careers, Philadelphia doesn't have much flexibility to overhaul this roster.

However, they could look to move some of their young pieces, and while Alec Bohm is the hot name fans want to see shipped out of town right now based on how things ended, Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report actually thinks it's their other infielder Bryson Stott who should be traded.

"After a season in which he regressed both offensively and defensively, Stott is the guy the Phillies should really be looking to trade. He could likely bring back a solid package of prospects, and then they could look to a near-future in which Trea Turner and top prospect Aidan Miller are sharing the middle of their infield," he writes.

There's a lot to unpack from that.

First, it's clear Stott took a major step back on offense which was the real cause of concern for the Phillies after he posted an OPS+ of 89 and wRC+ of 88 in 2024 that was well below the league average.

In comparison, his OPS+ and wRC+ last season was 103 and 101 respectively.

This drop off not only was noticed by Philadelphia, but certainly by other teams around the league which could limit how much the Phillies get back in return.

The idea of shifting Trea Turner's defensive position has become something more discussed recently after he put together two horrendous seasons at shortstop. Potentially moving him to second base might be the route that needs to be taken, so shipping out Stott would free up that possibility.

When it comes to their superstar prospect Aidan Miller, the thought was he would eventually shift away from shortstop to become a third baseman in his career.

However, if Turner is moved over to second, perhaps that would allow him to maintain his spot at shortstop if they do in fact hang onto Bohm.

This will certainly be something to monitor as Philadelphia eyes different ways they can improve the roster this offseason.