Players highlighted in the \u201cMake Or Break\u201d feature normally fall into one of a few familiar categories.\u00a0 Sometimes it\u2019s a former star prospect running out of chances to prove they belong in the majors, or perhaps it\u2019s an established star trying to bounce back after a down year or two, or maybe it\u2019s a veteran trying to get their career on track after an extended injury absence.<\/p>\n
Alec Bohm<\/a> doesn\u2019t exactly fit any of these models.\u00a0 In fact, one could argue Bohm has already been \u201cmade\u201d in the sense that he was an All-Star in 2024, and is coming off four seasons as the Phillies\u2019 top choice at third base (as well as a part-time first baseman), with 8.0 fWAR to show for his 560 games and 2352 plate appearances from 2022-25.\u00a0 He has an above-average 105 wRC+ at the plate over those four seasons, and Bohm\u2019s third base glovework has improved from terrible to at least palatable, and even pretty good depending on the metric of choice.<\/p>\n This is the track record of a solid, Major League-caliber player, and it\u2019s a resume that Bohm is rightfully proud of achieving.\u00a0 \u201cYou look at it in the grand scheme of things, out of all the players, a very small number that have ever played in the big leagues, there\u2019s not a lot of them that get to arbitration,\u201d Bohm recently told The Athletic\u2019s Ken Rosenthal<\/a>.\u00a0 \u201cThen the list gets even smaller of those who get to arbitration, get to free agency.\u00a0 Then the list gets even smaller when you talk about guys who get to 10 years and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you kind of zoom out and look at it from a different perspective, I\u2019ve done a lot of great things.\u00a0 I\u2019ve had a pretty good career for myself, made it a lot further than a lot of people can say.\u00a0 I\u2019m definitely proud of that, and want to keep building on it.\u201d<\/p>\n Bohm\u2019s issue, in some ways, is a matter of framing.\u00a0 Bohm can be described as a decent or okay player\u2026or as \u201cjust a\u201d decent or okay player.\u00a0 The Phillies haven\u2019t really been hurt by having Bohm take a regular spot in their lineup, nor is he at fault for the team\u2019s inability to get over the hump for a World Series championship.\u00a0 (Bohm\u2019s .225\/.327\/.333 slash line over 150 postseason plate appearances isn\u2019t good, but he is far from the only Philadelphia hitter to struggle in the playoffs.)<\/p>\n Because Bohm\u2019s production has always evened out to roughly average, however, it creates the sense that the Phillies could do better at the hot corner.\u00a0 It also doesn\u2019t help that Bohm\u2019s perception that he was a top prospect and the third overall pick in the 2018 draft.\u00a0 Though Rosenthal notes that Bohm\u2019s production has bettered a lot of other prominent names from that draft class, the infielder is (rightly or wrongly) a victim of the high expectations that come with being a top draft choice.\u00a0 In a sense, Bohm represents a larger issue clouding this otherwise successful run of Phillies baseball \u2014 the team hasn\u2019t gotten much from its farm system, as the roster has been built most around free agents and trades.<\/p>\n Along these same lines, Bohm has been the subject of trade rumors for the better part of two years.\u00a0 Bohm\u2019s 3.4 fWAR season in 2024 was the best of his career, as he had a 113 wRC+ from hitting .280\/.332\/.448 with 15 homers over 606 PA, and he also delivered +4 Outs Above Average as a third baseman.\u00a0 The down side of his career year was that Bohm slumped badly after the All-Star break, and the Phillies\u2019 response to this breakout campaign was to shop Bohm to address other needs.<\/p>\n Such teams as the Athletics, Mariners, Royals, Angels, and White Sox were all linked to Bohm-related rumors in the 2024-25 offseason, with the idea being that the Phils would move Bohm and then sign one of Alex Bregman<\/a> or Willy Adames<\/a> to play third base.\u00a0 Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski was at least aiming high in shopping Bohm offers, and perhaps too high \u2014 reports indicated that George Kirby<\/a>, Logan Gilbert<\/a>, Mason Miller<\/a>, and Garrett Crochet<\/a> were some of the players the Phillies wanted in return for trade packages involving Bohm.<\/p>\n There weren\u2019t as many public reports about Bohm\u2019s market this offseason, maybe in part because Bohm\u2019s production dropped to a 105 wRC+ (.287\/.331\/.409 with 11 homers over 464 PA) and he was limited to 120 games due to a left rib fracture and shoulder inflammation.\u00a0 Philadelphia was again looking to upgrade at third base, coming just short of signing Bo Bichette<\/a> in a scenario that would\u2019ve turned Bohm into an obvious trade chip for the remainder of the winter.<\/p>\n Going forward, top prospect Aidan Miller<\/a> is expected to make his MLB debut at some point in 2026, and then step into an everyday role at either second or third base in 2027.\u00a0 This puts pressure on second baseman Bryson Stott<\/a> for one, but it\u2019s a more direct threat to Bohm since he is slated to become a free agent next offseason.\u00a0 As Rosenthal puts it, \u201cat this point, perhaps even more than before, Bohm is playing for the other 29 teams.\u201d\u00a0 There\u2019s even a non-zero chance Bohm could be dealt in-season depending on how the Phillies feel about Miller\u2019s ability to immediately contribute in the majors.<\/p>\n For his part, Bohm hasn\u2019t been worried about the trade speculation or his impending free agency, saying he is just concerned about playing.\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t really take any of it personally, think too far into it. It\u2019s all out of my control. I can\u2019t do anything to prevent it\u2026.I don\u2019t stew over it.\u00a0 It\u2019s just part of the business side of it,\u201d Bohm said.<\/p>\n A midseason trade would make Bohm ineligible for the qualifying offer, so that would remove any draft compensation from his free agent case.\u00a0 Assuming Bohm remains a Phillie throughout 2026, a qualifying offer could be a moot point anyway, as it would probably take a huge jump in production for Philadelphia to even consider issuing Bohm a QO.\u00a0 If Bohm delivers his usual type of season, there\u2019s a decent chance he\u2019d just accept the offer and take a big one-year payday (this year\u2019s QO was worth $22.025MM) rather than deal with both the vagaries of his own market, plus the added uncertainty of how the inevitable lockout will interrupt the 2026-27 offseason.\u00a0 Adding a $22MM-ish salary to an already hefty payroll likely isn\u2019t in the Phillies\u2019 interest, when Miller could just take over at third base for a minimum salary.<\/p>\n Qualifying offer aside, Bohm is the type of mid-tier free agent we\u2019ve seen get squeezed by the market in the past.\u00a0 Teams without much payroll room might feel they can more or less replicate Bohm\u2019s production with a cheaper veteran or maybe two platoon options.\u00a0 Bigger-spending teams could take the Phillies\u2019 approach and seek for more prominent names at third base, with Bohm then becoming a fallback option at most.\u00a0 Between the lockout and potential changes made in a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, teams may not be likely to make an early commitment to a mid-level player like Bohm until they know exactly how baseball\u2019s business structure will change.<\/p>\n The easiest way for Bohm to change the narrative, of course, is to have a terrific 2026 season.\u00a0 He needs to hit better against right-handed pitching and keep more consistent over the course of a full year, and while this is naturally easier said that done, we\u2019ve seen flashes of how good Bohm can be when he\u2019s been in the midst of one of his hot streaks.\u00a0 Again, it isn\u2019t as if Bohm is a bad player \u2014 his hard-hit ball rates are solid, and he is borderline excellent at making contact and avoiding strikeouts.\u00a0 Bumping his walk and barrel rates even up to average levels would make Bohm a more dangerous threat at the plate.<\/p>\n