For much of the 2023 season, the Philadelphia Phillies have been using the likes of Edmundo Sosa, Alec Bohm, and Josh Harrison at the third base position. Bohm has done a decent job for the past few years, but the amount of production expected normally from such a power position leaves quite a bit to be desired. On the other hand, both Sosa and Harrison have provided minimal value so far from the spot, leaving third base as a potential position to upgrade for the Phillies at the trade deadline.
With the St. Louis Cardinals struggling mightily this season, many have pondered about whether or not 10-time Gold Glover and five-time Silver Slugger Nolan Arenado would be available at the trade deadline, since he would no doubt be the most coveted hot corner player if so. After all, he would probably bring back the biggest haul for the Cardinals in any trade scenario and in doing so, they would pretty much be set for the near future in getting back into contention status and the Phillies definitely would have the right trade package for them with their stacked top minor league prospects.
However, Cardinals’ President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak recently shot down those speculations, indicating that their key superstars, including both Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt, won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
With that unfortunate news in mind, the Phillies will most likely need to resort to other secondary options to fill the need for the hot corner. Here, we take a look at five potential trade targets that the Phillies can pursue to bolster their third base position in the infield.