Philadelphia Phillies May Have No Choice With Alec Bohm

Midway through the 2026 MLB campaign, it seemed all but a sure thing that Alec Bohm was playing out his final days in a Philadelphia Phillies uniform.

After all, the much-maligned third baseman batted just .151 with a .426 OPS between March and April, numbers that followed him for much of the year.

And if we're being honest, his end-of-season statistics still reflected his atrocious start.

But Bohm certainly made the Phillies think about things down the stretch.

The 29-year-old .298/.369/.425 after the All-Star break and batted .347 with runners in scoring position on the season as a whole.

What's more, he had the biggest hit of the year for Philadelphia, smashing a go-ahead, two-out home run during the 10th inning of the Phillies' Game 2 Wild Card Series win over the Atlanta Braves.

Bohm also hit .333 with three RBI over the course of that three-game playoff matchup as a whole, and he finished the regular season with 88 RBI — one more than Bryce Harper.

So with the former first-round pick headed toward free agency, is it possible the Phillies could actually retain him?

Well, it ultimately depends on what direction they go elsewhere.

If Philadelphia decides to re-sign Luis Arraez or signs Brandon Lowe, for example, Bohm is a goner. That would shift Bryson Stott over to the hot corner on a permanent basis, and there would no longer be any room for Bohm.

But let's say the Phillies put Stott back at second base. That would leave third base vacant, and it would absolutely open the door for a Bohm return.

The third base market is incredibly thin in this upcoming free-agent crop. In fact, unless you consider Bo Bichette (who can opt out of his deal with the New York Mets) to be a third baseman, Bohm is probably the best of the bunch.

Has Bohm been a disappointment in Philadelphia relative to his draft position and sky-high expectations? Sure. But, at the very least, he has hit lefties to the tune of an .853 OPS since entering the big leagues in 2020, so perhaps a platoon is in order?

Bohm's second-half surge and postseason heroics may have been enough to earn him another contract with the Phillies — cost permitting, of course.

Because there aren't really any other enticing third basemen slated to be available, Bohm might actually get a lucrative multi-year offer from a rival club, one Philadelphia would likely not be willing to match.

But if the market for Bohm is only lukewarm, the Phillies may elect to bring him back ... especially considering they may not have any other choice.