Phillies Rumors: MLB insider thinks Giants trade deadline deal could replace Alec Bohm

The Philadelphia Phillies will need to make multiple trades at the deadline to fortify a team looking to finally break through in the postseason. Starting pitching depth and late-inning relief help should be on president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski’s wishlist, but the most important addition of all should be a right-handed bat. To that end, MLB insider Jon Heyman linked the Phils to San Francisco Giants’ third baseman Matt Chapman as a speculative replacement for Alec Bohm.

Third base is a clear area for improvement for the Phillies, as they’ve ridden the Alec Bohm train just about as far as it can go. The 2018 third-overall draft pick has been pretty mediocre on the whole over his seven years with the team, and his impending free agency makes his departure this coming winter almost a sure thing.

In fairness to Bohm, he’s played much better in recent weeks after an atrocious start to the season, and somehow finds himself a finalist to start this year’s All-Star game in his home stadium. Still, the 29-year-old has posted an unimpressive .633 OPS across 77 games this year; numbers that can certainly be improved upon.

Enter Giants third sacker Matt Chapman, a five-time Gold Glove Award winner who’s worked to a decent .240/.328/.380 slash line over 329 trips to the plate this year. Those numbers don’t necessarily blow Bohm out of the water, but they would be a marked improvement. Couple that with spectacular defense and that’s quite a boost over Bohm’s granite glove.

While Jon Heyman’s suggestion of a Chapman deal makes sense on the surface, there is a bit more to it than that. The 33-year-old is under contract for four more years after this one at a shade over $25 million apiece. That’s a pretty steep price tag for a good-not-great hitter through his age-37 season.

Is it time for the Phillies to take a gamble on Matt Chapman?

There are a few reasons for optimism regarding Chapman’s twilight years, first and foremost would be getting him out of cavernous Oracle Park in San Francisco. Baseball Savant ranks Oracle in the bottom third of the league for hitters’ parks, whereas Philadelphia slots in as the eighth-most favorable to sluggers. It’s fair to wonder how much Chapman’s offensive output would improve with such away from such a toxic enviroment.

The other thing working in favor of a Chapman trade is the fact that he would solidify the third base spot for years to come. If the Phils let Bohm walk in free agency (which they should), there’s not necessarily an in-house replacement waiting in the wings. Top prospect Aidan Miller could take up the mantle, but a lingering back injury has kept him off the field for the entirety of this season.

Trading for Matt Chapman would be a heck of a gamble. Adding another $25 million to the books for four more years wouldn’t be the smartest allocation of resources, and there’s no guarantee that he’ll age as gracefully as fans would like. Still, he would be a significant improvement in the here and now, and for a Phillies team that’s desperate to win a World Series, it may be time to make a few short-sighted decisions to meet that goal.

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