Philadelphia Phillies: Top 5 moves Matt Klentak made as GM

5. Not including Alec Bohm in J.T. Realmuto trade with Marlins

Matt Klentak helping the Phillies to acquire J.T. Realmuto from the Miami Marlins after the 2018 season was an excellent move in it of itself. Realmuto was coming off of his first All-Star season, as well as first Silver Slugger honors, after slashing .278/.332/.451 with 31 doubles, 17 home runs, and 65 RBI in 141 games.

What may be even more notable from this swap — that sent the division-rival catcher Jorge Alfaro, top pitching prospect Sixto Sanchez, and minor-leaguer Will Stewart — was who Klentak did not give in and also include in the deal.

According to an MLB.com report that ran just a day before the trade was announced, the trade was near completion, but both the Phillies and Marlins were still in the process of agreeing on a third player, who ended up being Stewart.

Alec Bohm — who went on to debut last season and finish second in the Rookie of the Year Award race — was reportedly among the players being discussed in negotiations. Bohm is considered a rising star who will don red pinstripes in the corner infield, whether at the hot corner or first base down the line, for years to come. Stewart, meanwhile, went just 6-12 with a 5.43 ERA, 1.384 WHIP, and 96-42 strikeouts-to-walks ratio spanning 129 1/3 inning with the Marlins’ Advanced-A affiliate in 2019.

Had the Phillies traded their former first-round pick in Bohm, you have to wonder if they would have shifted their attention to signing Manny Machado rather than Bryce Harper in the following months of free agency. It would have been difficult seeing Bohm have long-term success with the Marlins.