4 Phillies players the team should sign to contract extensions before Bryce Harper
By Matt Dargan
The Phillies should extend Alec Bohm before Bryce Harper
Alec Bohm is coming off a breakout 2023 season that saw him hit .274 with 20 home runs, 97 RBI, and 153 hits in 558 at-bats. The 2018 Phillies first-round draft pick put it all together last season, and while Bohm and the team recently disagreed on salary arbitration numbers (Bohm won and was awarded a $4 million salary), the team and player could very well work out a deal to keep him in Philadelphia and buy out a few pre-free agency years.
Bohm has mostly played third base since he arrived in the major leagues in 2020. Over the last couple of seasons, Bohm has also seen significant time at first base and has the type of bat that profiles at a corner infield position. With Bryce Harper slotted in to play first base now and for the foreseeable future, most of Bohm's focus will be on playing third base every day going forward.
With Bohm turning 28 years old in August, he would seem like the next logical player for the Phillies to extend. But 2023 first-round pick Aidan Miller is also a third baseman. The No. 3 ranked prospect doesn't appear long for the minors if his prodigious power continues to carry him through the system. It's likely the Phillies will take a wait-and-see approach with Bohm as they watch how Miller develops.
Extending Bohm makes sense, but it looks increasingly unlikley.