The Philadelphia Phillies have a hole at third base. Longtime hot corner occupant Alec Bohm has reached free agency for the first time this winter, and given the ups and downs he’s had with the fanbase, not to mention his middling body of work, there’s a very good chance Bohm’s played his last game in Philly. Top prospect Aidan Miller is surely in consideration for the Opening Day third-base job, as are plenty of free-agent and trade options. However, one intriguing possibility is Korean superstar Si-hwan Roh, who was posted by the Hanwha Eagles of the KBO on Sunday.
Roh has spent the past eight years with the Korea Baseball Organization’s Hanwha Eagles, posting a stellar .267/.353/.457 slash line with 153 home runs across 957 games. His defense has drawn some negativity from scouts, but that didn’t stop Hanwha from signing the 25-year-old to an 11-year contract extension last winter worth up to $21.3 million. Any team that signs Roh would need to pay the Eagles a posting fee determined by the value of his new MLB contract.
The Phillies should consider that option, especially if a deal for Japanese superstar Teruaki Sato falls through. With Bohm likely departing, and Miller coming off an almost entirely lost 2026 season, the Phils don’t have a reliable in-house option. Bryson Stott did a fantastic job at third base after being shifted over to accommodate deadline acquisition Luis Arraez, but keeping him there in 2027 would open up a new hole at second base.
Korean star Si Hwan Roh could be the third base fit the Phillies need
Unlike Sato, Roh bats right-handed. The Phillies’ lineup has been lefty-heavy for years, and last year the only two above-average hitters were Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber, both left-handed. That setup has led to Bohm being miscast as Harper’s protection in the cleanup spot.
It remains to be seen how effective Roh will be in the Majors, but if he can be even a league-average offensive contributor, he could become one of the best right-handed hitters on the team. Roh doesn't project as the offensive contributor that Sato does. He has worse numbers in a worse league, but per dollar, Roh may be a more cost-effective option.
Perhaps more important than Roh’s on-field production for the Phils would be the symbolic nature of his addition. Only two South Korean-born players have ever donned a Phillies jersey: Chan Ho Park in 2009 and Hyun Soo Kim in 2017. South Korea is not the baseball powerhouse Japan is, but it has produced excellent players like Hyun Jin Ryu and Shin-Soo Choo, and many more solid contributors. And it appears the Phillies are interested in getting involved in the Korean market, based on their consistent scouting of shortstop Ju-Won Kim.
Likewise, Philadelphia has had few Japanese players in its history: just Tadahito Iguchi and So Taguchi. The team has attempted to make inroads into the Japanese market in recent years, most notably with a high-profile pursuit of ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but has come up short.
Landing Roh would create a smoother Asia-to-Philadelphia pipeline. The Phillies have some options to consider when it comes to third base this winter, but they could do far worse than give the job to a solid right-handed hitter while planting their flag in the South Korean market.
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