4 Phillies players most likely to be traded this offseason
Which Phillies players are candidates to be moved in the coming months to help reshape the team for 2025?
After spending almost a decade without a taste of the MLB playoffs, the Philadelphia Phillies have managed to successfully reach the postseason in each of the past three years. Led by core players Bryce Harper, Aaron Nola and company, they have given Phillies fans something to cheer about whenever October has rolled around each season.
However, despite the progress, the Phillies appear to be heading in the wrong direction. They went from being finalists in the World Series in 2022 to casualties in the NLCS in 2023, to now being eliminated early in the NLDS in 2024. With the Phillies running it back with practically the same core group in each of the past two seasons, it has now become apparent that whatever they currently have right now isn’t working.
As a result, a significant roster shakeup of some sort may be required to get them back on track and potentially over the hump to finally capture the World Series title that has eluded them. With that in mind, we will take a look at four Phillies players who are the most likely to be traded this offseason to help facilitate that success.
4 Phillies players most likely to be traded this offseason
Brandon Marsh
Brandon Marsh was originally acquired by the Phillies back at the 2022 trade deadline from the Los Angeles Angels. Since then, he has become a staple in their lineup for the most part until now. Marsh had been able to provide some solid defense, with 7 DRS overall and committing 10 errors for a .983 fielding percentage over the past three seasons with the club. In addition, he has chipped in with some offensive production from the bottom third of the batting order, averaging double-digit home runs and 60 RBI in each of the last two years.
His defense isn’t at the elite levels Johan Rojas can provide, and his offensive numbers aren’t spectacular like Nick Castellanos can put up. More notably, he has continued to struggle mightily against left-handed pitching, as he had for much of his MLB career. He batted an abysmal .192 with a .552 OPS and a whopping 33 strikeouts in 78 at-bats in 2024, making him realistically a platoon player at best.
Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer points out that with Marsh’s career strikeout rate of 32.8 percent, along with the deficiency in offense from the left field position for the Phillies this season (.710 OPS, tied for 15th in the majors), it makes sense to trade Marsh for a more offensively-minded outfielder to better fit the team’s needs.
With big free agents, including top prize Juan Soto, available in the market this offseason, the Phillies have a massive opportunity to significantly boost their outfield and find a potential long-term solution. In doing so, it could leave Marsh without a role for 2025, as he would become expendable.
Alec Bohm
Third baseman Alec Bohm has made huge strides in his game in the past couple of seasons to help drive the Phillies’ offense. After his breakout 2022 year with Philadelphia, Bohm has followed it up with back-to-back 15+ home runs and 95+ RBI seasons in 2023 and 2024. He even made the All-Star Game for the first time in his career this past season. There’s no doubt he had been one of the Phillies’ best run producers throughout the regular season.
However, whenever it came to his playoff performance, he has left a lot to be desired. Over his three postseason appearances with the Phillies, Bohm has compiled just a .214 batting average, .629 OPS, 11 runs scored, two home runs and 14 RBI in 34 career playoff games.
He was a complete disaster during the 2024 NLDS against the New York Mets this year when he registered just one hit in 14 plate appearances. In doing so, he played a key part in the Phillies’ collapse and early elimination from the playoffs.
Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report recently picked Bohm as the main candidate to be moved by the Phillies this offseason. He believes that his brutal second half of 2024 following his All-Star first half, along with his inability to maintain his composure while throwing tantrums at times could spell the end of his tenure with Philadelphia. Rymer suggested potential fits with the Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners.
In addition, Tim Kelly of Bleacher Report also recently suggested that the Phillies could be a potential landing spot for big-time free agent third baseman Alex Bregman this coming offseason.
If that indeed comes to fruition, it would push Bohm out of a role with the Phillies for good as there would be no other position to fit him in, with Harper cemented at first base and Kyle Schwarber occupying the designated hitter spot. In any case, it appears as though the current odds-on favorite for a key Phillies player to be moved this offseason is Bohm.
Austin Hays
As one of the Phillies’ main trade deadline acquisitions this past season, Austin Hays turned out to be a huge disappointment when all was said and done. Perhaps things might have been a little different had he been healthy during his tenure with the club. However, a strained hamstring and a kidney infection ultimately kept Hays on the sidelines more than his time on the field for the final two months of the season.
In the end, Hays appeared in only 22 games, being able to muster just a .256 average, .672 OPS with eight runs scored, five doubles, two home runs, six RBI and two stolen bases in 80 total plate appearances. With hopes that he could provide at least some impact for the Phillies during the playoffs, he would end up appearing in just two games and struck out three times in just four at-bats.
As a result, their huge deadline bet in settling for a lesser light compared to other prominent options that were available became a complete flop for Philadelphia.
With regards to Hays' future with the team, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski may have provided a little insight on it after the season.
“We have Hays, of course, we’ll have to make a decision in that regard,” Dombrowski said during his end-of-season press conference when discussing the Phillies' outfield options for next year.
That decision likely comes down to whether Hays will be non-tendered or traded this offseason. There is still an outside shot that the Phillies could tender him a contract and see what he has got for the upcoming season, but it is highly unlikely, given the hefty price tag of $6+ million from his one year remaining of arbitration eligibility.
Nevertheless, with the underwhelming numbers he put up for the Phillies down the stretch, despite all of the circumstances, it would be a hard pill for the Phillies faithful to swallow if he remained with the team into the 2025 season.
Bryson Stott
Following his breakout year in 2023 with the Phillies, many had expected second baseman Bryson Stott to continue to build upon that success and advance his game even more this past season. However, Stott instead managed to actually take a step backward after an underwhelming 2024 offensive campaign. Over 148 games played, he managed just a .245 batting average, .671 OPS, and 89 OPS+, along with 19 doubles, 11 home runs, 57 RBI and 32 stolen bases.
More noteworthy is the fact that Stott has also struggled to produce for the Phillies during the past three postseasons. In 33 playoff games, he has batted a dismal .188 with a .565 OPS, together with just nine runs scored, five doubles, one triple, one home run and 14 RBI while striking out 30 times in 101 total at-bats. This 2024 postseason was no different when he registered just two hits in 13 plate appearances.
According to Rymer of Bleacher Report, he believes that with Stott’s regression in 2024, he should be the Phillies’ target to move if they were to trade any bigger-name players this offseason. Especially with top prospect Aidan Miller making big strides with his growth and development of his game in the minors, the Phillies could envision fielding a tandem of Miller and Trea Turner up the middle, with Turner shifting over to second in the not-so-distant future. Rymer also believes that Stott in turn should be able to net the Phillies some solid prospects in return as well.
In addition, Kelly of Bleacher Report recently suggested that with the Phillies likely looking for bullpen upgrades this offseason with Carlos Estévez and Jeff Hoffman as pending free agents, a potential trade for St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley could work with Stott being the major piece in the package going the other way.
No matter what the possibilities are, if the Phillies were to do something big this offseason via the trade route, both Bohm and/or Stott could be major players in the equation.
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