Recently, the Philadelphia Phillies saw their 2025 MLB season come to an end with a crushing loss at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of their NLDS series with a crucial pitching error. The loss marked the second straight year in which Philadelphia won the NL East and then won just a single playoff game in the ensuing postseason, calling into question just how much longer the current core of the team will stay together.
Recently, Jim Bowden of The Athletic listed some key trade candidates from around the league heading into this offseason, and the name he mentioned for the Phillies may raise some eyebrows: third baseman Alec Bohm.
“Bohm has been the Phillies’ regular third baseman for the last five years, averaging 16 homers and 89 RBIs over 162 games. He has basically plateaued as a player, however, hitting his ceiling as a slightly above-average major leaguer,” noted Bowden. “At 29, Bohm could benefit from a change of scenery, and an upgrade at the hot corner would help the Phillies too. With both Alex Bregman and Bo Bichette being viable options in free agency, it would make sense for the Phillies to deal Bohm at this time.”
Bowden also mentioned a specific team that Bohm could be a good fit on.
“He’s controllable for one more year and his best trade fit could be with the Los Angeles Angels,” he added.
A big offseason for the Phillies
Heading into this year, the Philadelphia Phillies had lost in an earlier round of the postseason each year dating back to the 2022 World Series. This year, they lost in the same round as they did in 2024, the NLDS, with the Los Angeles Dodgers already having swept the Milwaukee Brewers in the ensuing NLCS and punching their ticket to the World Series.
It's certainly worth wondering at this point whether this Phillies team has hit its collective ceiling.
Philadelphia clearly has a talented roster, but also one that has an undeniable habit of playing some of its worst baseball each October.
