While an outfield bat and elite bullpen arms top the list of Phillies offseason needs, a change at third base hasn’t been ruled out.

Jeff Passan of ESPN reported Tuesday that 28-year-old Alec Bohm is “on the trade block” after a disappointing end to his 2024 season. Bohm’s exit would obviously require a replacement, and one “rival evaluator” believes he may have the answer.

Here’s what Buster Olney had to say:

Alex Bregman to Philly seems halted by a few things, most notably the desire of some Astros officials and front office members to bring him back to Houston. Astros GM Dana Brown told reporters last week that he believes the team “has a really good chance” of bringing Bregman back to the only place he’s known as a pro.

Bregman has been projected to receive a multi-year contract that could reach up to 7 years, according to some sites. ESPN projected a 6-year, $187M contract for Bregman, while Tim Britton of The Athletic had his contract in the 7-year, $189M range.


The Phillies have Aidan Miller waiting in the wings. The plus to keeping Bohm would be his contract, giving Miller some time to develop and eventually come up and replace Bohm when he’s ready. A 5-7 year deal for Alex Bregman marks Miller’s defensive future as a bit of a question mark, with the 20-year-old slated to play the third base position once he’s elevated to the majors. A position change could be in the cards, but that doesn’t seem incredibly likely at this moment in time.

Garrett Crochet has now been linked to the Phillies on multiple occasions, and every report is leading to the Phils being one of the top dogs in those talks. Buster Olney reported Wednesday morning that White Sox general manager Chris Getz spoke with Phillies management at the GM meetings. The Phillies have made it known that Andrew Painter, Aidan Miller, and Justin Crawford are prospects they love, and only the perfect deal would have to be on the table for one of those guys to be shipped away.

The Phillies could ship Bohm in a Crochet deal, or a potential deal for a reliever like Devin Williams or Ryan Helsley. That could open up their path to sign Bregman, or find a replacement in the free-agent market as more of a placeholder.

Bregman was extended a qualifying offer by the Astros, and has until November 19th to accept or reject. Bregman will likely reject, meaning whatever team signs him would lose some sort of draft capital. For the Phillies, it would be their 2nd and 5th round pick, as well as $1M from their international bonus pool.

Bregman slashed .260/.315/.453 in a contract year with Houston, logging 26 HRs, 75 RBIs, and a 118 OPS+. His OPS+ has never dipped under 113 in his 9-year career in Houston, and he took home his first Gold Glove this past season with the Astros, beating out Ernie Clement of Toronto and Jose Ramirez of Cleveland.