Phillies Could Target Surprising Trade for Alec Bohm Replacement

The Philadelphia Phillies are trying to figure out what to do at third base, as Alec Bohm is now a free agent, and the market is not exactly teeming with options.

Teruaki Sato is tempting, but his defensive deficiencies appear very problematic. The Phillies could always shift Bryson Stott over to third, but that would require re-signing Luis Arraez (who may be out of their price range) or splurging on Brandon Lowe, who just received the qualifying offer from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Aidan Miller was viewed as an option heading into 2026, but then he missed Spring Training and most of the season due to a back injury.

So what solution is there for Philadelphia?

Well, one possibility is Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung.

The Rangers would surely like to shake things up after another disappointing season, and while finding a taker for Corey Seager may be at the top of their to-do list (don't even think about it, Phils), Jung could be on the move, as well.

A former first-round pick, Jung has not materialized like Texas had hoped, but he has still been a pretty solid player thus far in his big-league career.

In fact, Jung just enjoyed the best year of his MLB tenure this past season, slashing .299/.365/.462 with 12 home runs and 42 RBI over 444 plate appearances.

It should be noted that the 28-year-old made the All-Star team after finishing with 23 homers and 70 RBI in 2023, but he managed a .781 OPS, considerably lower than the .827 OPS he posted here in 2026.

Jung has two years of club control remaining, so the Rangers may want to strike while the iron is hot with the Texas Tech product.

Enter the Phillies, who don't exactly have a deep farm system, but should have enough to be able to pry the very gettable Jung away from the Lone Star State.

Jung's inconsistency is a bit scary, as he registered a .684 OPS in 2025 and a .719 OPS in 2024. That annoying discrepancy bleeds into his defense as well, and one look at his chaotic defensive metrics will have you wondering exactly what type of third baseman he actually is.

But one thing is for sure: Jung has displayed significant offensive potential, and he mashed lefties to the tune of a .366/.488/.545 slash line this past season. It also wasn't like he was bad against right-handers, owning a .770 OPS.

He is also a controllable talent who will probably make around $5 million in arbitration next season. That should make him cheaper than Bohm, who might manage to land a fairly lucrative multi-year deal in free agency.

Is Jung the sexiest option? Absolutely not, but he is certainly someone the Phillies should consider. He's realistic, and he definitely isn't terrible.