Phillies' Alec Bohm Reunion Seems Imminent After Latest Prediction

Alec Bohm has probably been the Philadelphia Phillies' most frustrating player in recent years, but the Phillies may not be able to find a better answer this winter.

Bohm is headed toward free agency, leaving a hole at third base for Philadelphia. A reunion between the two sides, however, may be imminent.

Why? Because the third base market is very thin, and the top name available, Japanese star Teruaki Sato, might not even be a true third baseman on the big-league level. On top of that, he is expected to land a fat contract, and he carries a posting fee, as well.

In fact, the latest prediction from Matthew Pouliot of NBC Sports indicates that the Phillies might just have to re-sign Bohm and call it a day.

Pouliot is projecting Bohm to land a one-year, $13 million deal on the open market, which would be very manageable for Philadelphia. He has Sato at five years and $130 million, which may prove a bit too costly for a Phillies squad that has so many holes elsewhere.

Believe it or not, the hot corner is not Philadelphia's top priority this winter, nor should it be. The Phils are in desperate need of outfield help and bullpen assistance, so that is where they should spend the bulk of their sources.

I'm not so sure that doling out $130 million — or possibly more — to Sato would be the best solution given the Phillies' financial situation.

Philadelphia already has a huge payroll, and those contracts aren't going anywhere. Plus, with a salary cap seeming inevitable, the Phillies will have to be much more prudent about how they allocate money long term.

Philly knows what to expect from Bohm. He owns a lifetime .273/.325/.410 slash line, which certainly isn't great, but is passable. And while he posted a .698 OPS in 2026, that number was largely skewed by his miserable start to the campaign.

It should be noted that Bohm slashed .298/.369/.425 after the All-Star break, and he also batted .347 with runners in scoring position on the season as a whole.

Philadelphia did not extend a qualifying offer to the 29-year-old, but that's because it would have run the Phillies $23.15 million had he accepted (and he probably would have).

That decision by no means indicates that Bohm's tenure in Philadelphia is over. It just means the Phillies aren't stupid. There is next to zero chance that the former first-round pick will get over $20 million in AAV on his next deal, so why offer it to him for one year?

If $13 million over one season is all it takes to retain Bohm, the Phillies might as well just do it, because barring an out-of-nowhere trade, the alternatives are very slim.