The Philadelphia Phillies are under immense pressure to win a World Series within the next couple of seasons, so they’re definitely a team to watch on the trade market.
With their core starting to age, the Phillies are looking to right some wrongs after three straight postseason appearances without a championship. If they believe getting rid of someone will help, they’ll do it, even if that player made the All-Star team last season.
Third baseman Alec Bohm’s name was spreading like wildfire through the rumor mill all winter. It was clear that at one point, the Phillies were actively shopping him, but at some point, they realized they weren’t going to get as much for him as they might have hoped.
Could a Bohm trade still be on the table during the regular season, with the 28-year-old making $7.7 million in his second-to-last season of arbitration? One baseball writer believes the Detroit Tigers are a logical team to acquire him.
On Thursday, Conor Liguori of Athlon proposed a hypothetical trade that would send Bohm to Detroit for relief pitcher Will Vest and utility infielder Andy Ibañez.
“Vest could help the Phillies’ bullpen in the postseason, and he proved unphased in six playoff appearances last year,” Liguori wrote. “The righty is coming off back-to-back seasons with a 146 ERA+ and 8.1 or more strikeouts per nine innings.
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“Ibáñez was a postseason hero for the Tigers in the AL Wild Card Series against the Houston Astros and has experience at every position on the field besides being a catcher. He posted a career-high OPS of 103 in 2023 and possesses an above-average glove.”
Vest is a player worth having, but the Phillies could almost certainly get him for prospects if the Tigers fall out of the playoff race, and if they don’t, there will be other teams selling. And Ibañez might be a useful bench piece, but he’s not a proven starter whereas Bohm is.
It seems as though the Phillies weren’t just looking to cut bait with Bohm, but hoped his value coming off his All-Star campaign in 2024 would be high enough to get them something better. That will probably still be the only way a deal involving Bohm gets done.
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