Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm has been a popular guy this offseason. With his name repeatedly brought up in trade rumors, it feels inevitable that he will be dealt before spring training arrives. However, with how the Phillies are approaching this offseason, there's a good chance that Bohm is still manning the hot corner come February.
Despite the constant barrage of rumors, the Phillies have publicly said they're not actively shopping Bohm, although they are listening when teams call about their 28-year-old third baseman.
Phillies requested A's closer Mason Miller in exchange for Alec Bohm
One of the teams reported to have called about Bohm is the Athletics, formerly of Oakland, now of Sacramento, who are desperately trying to find a third baseman. According to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, the Phillies' asking price for Bohm was so high that the conversation ended before it even got started (subscription required).
"The Philadelphia Phillies’ Alec Bohm is another trade candidate, but when the A’s inquired about him, the Phillies asked for All-Star reliever Mason Miller," Rosenthal reported. "That ended the conversation, an A’s source said."
Yikes. It seems the A's don't want a third baseman that badly. Asking for fireballer Mason Miller is a wildly high overshoot for Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. Although, it might explain why the Phillies have struck out on the trade front so far this winter.
Miller, who regularly pumps in fastballs over 100 mph as the Athletics' closer, still has five years of team control left. He finished 2024 with a 2.49 ERA and 104 strikeouts in 65 innings while converting 28 of 31 save opportunities for an A's team that won only 69 games.
Bohm, for as good as a hitter he has turned into, isn't going to get a deal done in a one-for-one swap for a player like Miller. Bohm was named to his first All-Star team this past season, finishing the year with a .280 batting average, 15 home runs, 44 doubles and 97 RBI. He still has two years of arbitration eligibility before free agency.
According to former MLB general manager Jim Bowden, this is Dombrowski's modus operandi when approaching trades.
"I dealt with him as a GM for 16 1/2 years, and I always kid David about this, he always wanted to give me his crap for my star player or prospects," Bowden said recently on MLB Network Radio. "That's what he does, and then eventually, he gets one of the 30 GMs to bite. And that’s why he keeps making these ridiculous proposals.
"Alec Bohm for Mason Miller, just give him dial tone. But Dave's had success his whole life to doing these kind of things, that you gotta keep doing it, right? Because it works for him, that style works for him, he always overshoots."
Former General Manager Jim Bowden on Dave Dombrowski:
— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) December 16, 2024
“He always wanted to give me his crap for my star player or prospects…and then eventually he gets one of the 30 GM’s to bite. And that’s why he keeps making these ridiculous proposals.” pic.twitter.com/2LOye60xSg
This isn't the first time Bohm has been linked to a trade request by the Phillies that another team's general manager easily shot down. The Phillies reportedly asked the Seattle Mariners for one of their top starters, Logan Gilbert or George Kirby, in exchange for Bohm.
The Phillies also weren't willing to pay the high prospect price of Andrew Painter to the Chicago White Sox for lefty ace Garrett Crochet and lost out to the Boston Red Sox. Dombrowski reportedly offered the Houston Astros Bohm and right fielder Nick Castellanos for perennial MVP candidate Kyle Tucker, which Houston scoffed at before trading Tucker to the Chicago Cubs.
With the Phillies still looking to secure their outfield situation, let's hope Dombrowski's strategy pays off at some point this offseason.