Dave Dombrowski loves his veterans. The erstwhile president of baseball operations has done a subpar job of putting together the Philadelphia Phillies’ roster, and has relied on overpaying veterans to plug the myriad holes on his team. The Phils once again will need to make some trade deadline acquisitions, and if rumors are to be believed Dombrowski may once again pony up too much money for an aging player. Philly has been linked to San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman.
The Phillies have a heck of a lot of cash tied up in players who are at or near the precipice of decline, with over-30 guys Zack Wheeler, Bryce Harper, Aaron Nola, Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber all on the books for multiple seasons making at least $20 million per year. Additionally, Dombrowski re-signed stalwart catcher J.T. Realmuto for three years and $45 million this past offseason, and the 35-year-old has subsequently fallen off a cliff.
The reason why Dombrowski and the Phillies have continued to pump more and more cash into diminishing assets is simple: they can’t develop young talent. The club is in the midst of a competitive window, and the only way they’ve been able to plug holes in the ship’s waterline is by throwing dollars at it. Sometimes that works (Schwarber, Harper) and sometimes it doesn’t (Nola, Turner).
The top-heaviness of the squad has come back to bite the Phils lately, as the complete lack of depth and failure of younger players to take a step forward has left them with a stars-and-scrubs roster construction. Case in point: third baseman Alec Bohm has been completely mediocre over seven years in red pinstripes and is on his way out the door this season. That leads many to wonder if the hot corner is a position to upgrade at the deadline.
Matt Chapman is a terrific third baseman, but he's too rich for the Phillies' blood
FanSided’s Robert Murray linked the Phils to Chapman, a perennial Gold Glove winner who’s popped 25 extra-base hits this year. At first glance, that seems like a perfect fit, as the club would get a massive upgrade over Bohm’s statuesque defense and finally acquire the right-handed bat they so desperately need. There’s just one problem: the money.
“A rival executive thought that the Philadelphia Phillies make sense for [Matt] Chapman, citing that the team has previously looked for reinforcements in the infield and that Alec Bohm is in the last year of his contract.”
— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) June 17, 2026
-@ByRobertMurray https://t.co/e5fHOiKlK4 pic.twitter.com/KKHL8Qk28m
Chapman’s fantastic career landed him a well-deserved six-year, $151 million contract from the Giants that runs through the 2030 season when he’ll be 37 years old. That leaves four years at just over $25 million apiece still to be paid out after this season. Unless Chapman has a Barry Bonds-esque career arc, he probably won’t be producing $25 million worth of value into his late-thirties.
The Phillies need a third baseman now, there’s no doubt about it. Alec Bohm does not inspire confidence for a future playoff run, especially considering that he’s been arguably the team’s best right-handed hitter lately. In a vacuum, Chapman would cure all the Phillies’ ills, but at what cost?
Bringing in a 33-year-old band-aid on an onerous contract that will only get worse as he ages is a short-sighted move. Dombrowski has a history of handing out ill-fated contracts and the Phillies certainly don’t need another one on the books. In theory it's a solid idea, but in practice it exacerbates an already growing problem.
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