Did Phillies' Dave Dombrowski Just Confirm Alec Bohm is a Goner?

Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm is on the free-agent market, and the Phillies did not tender him a qualifying offer.

Given that would have meant the Phillies would have paid Bohm over $23 million next season, that's understandable.

But it didn't necessarily mean that Bohm was a sure-fire goner.

Philadelphia could always just re-sign Bohm on a deal with a cheaper AAV, especially considering how good he was during the second half this past season.

However, some recent comments from Phillies president Dave Dombrowski seemed to indicate that Bohm might already be out the door.

While speaking to reporters about Philadelphia's third base situation heading into 2027, Dombrowski said that he hopes top prospect Aidan Miller wins the job out of Spring Training.

Now why would Dombrowski say that if he felt there was any chance Bohm would be on the roster next season? Why would he pay Bohm only to bench him in favor of Miller, who is a right-handed hitter just like Bohm?

It's entirely possible that the Phillies have had it with Bohm and his inconsistency and don't want to deal with it anymore.

Philadelphia selected Bohm with the third overall pick of the 2018 MLB Draft (before Dombrowski was even in Philly) with the hope that he would eventually develop into a reliable middle-of-the-order bat.

What the Phillies have gotten is a bad defender with a lifetime .735 OPS. He posted a .698 OPS this past year, which was the second-lowest mark of his career. He was much better after the All-Star break, slashing .298/.369/.425, but that's been Bohm throughout his entire seven-year tenure in Philadelphia.

He shows flashes of brilliance, but then goes through long stretches of mediocrity. Or, in the case of the first half of 2026, an absolutely nightmarish run.

Bohm is now 30 years old, and clearly, he is what he is at this point. He doesn't have much room to grow, and while he isn't a terrible offensive player and actually might be the best free-agent third baseman available (Teruaki Sato might not even be a third baseman), he doesn't move the needle.

The Phillies seem prepared to hand the starting third base job to Miller. Either that, or they can move Bryson Stott over to the hot corner full time and re-sign Luis Arraez. Or maybe they can swing a surprising trade.

Regardless, Dombrowski just made it pretty clear that he doesn't seem to be expecting Bohm to return next spring.