I guess the Philadelphia Phillies would be slightly better off here.
Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm has been the subject of trade speculation since the conclusion of the 2024 campaign. And yet, here we are, midway through 2026, and Bohm is still in Philly.
That doesn't necessarily mean the Phillies are happy with that, though.
Bohm is slashing .227/.280/.360 with nine home runs and 41 RBI over 304 plate appearances this season. Those numbers are definitely skewed thanks to a miserable first month, but the former first-round pick clearly hasn't been great.
With Philadelphia's offense laboring so much this season, Dave Dombrowski is surely looking for upgrades almost everywhere. But while outfield is definitely the Phillies' primary area of weakness, Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer actually feels Philadelphia may seek to make a change at the hot corner.
In a piece where Rymer made one trade prediction for each MLB squad, he projected the Phillies to swing a deal for San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman.
"Yeah, we're going for it with this one. And for two good reasons: the Phillies rank 29th in rWAR from third base, and 30th in wRC+ from right-handed batters. Chapman is thus the best two-birds, one-stone upgrade they can get," Rymer wrote.
The problem? Chapman is under contract through 2030 and is making $25.2 million each season, which Rymer acknowledges could be an obstacle ... although he thinks the Phillies would do it.
San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman. Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images."Plus, getting Chapman from the Giants could be as simple as agreeing to swallow the last four years of his $151 million contract," Rymer added. "The Phillies can afford to do so, and there's no better time to take such a chance than in the face of a closing championship window."
I'm not so sure Philadelphia would be so quick to absorb that money.
Let's remember that the Phillies re-signed Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto over the winter and didn't really do a whole lot else. They are clearly watching their payroll, and they may not be amenable to taking on the contract of an aging, declining player.
Chapman is slashing .240/.328/.380 with seven homers and 42 RBI this season, numbers that look eerily similar to Bohm's. Yes, Chapman is far superior defensively, but his .708 OPS is the lowest of his career.
The 33-year-old entered the league with the Oakland Athletics back in 2017 and made an All-Star appearance during his third season. He then spent two years with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2022 and 2023 before joining the Giants.
Chapman has been very consistent throughout his major-league tenure, but this is the first season where he have seen such a significant dropoff for him offensively.
The worst part? Chapman might actually be getting lucky this season. His BABIP is .297, his expected batting average is .214 and his barrel rate is a career-low 6.9 percent, nearly half of his lifetime average (12.1 percent). His his hard-hit rate of 36.6 percent is also easily the lowest of his career.
Would Chapman comprise an upgrade over Bohm? For his defense alone, yes. But how much better would he actually make the Phillies offensively? And is it worth taking on that bloated contract?
Phillies Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Phillies. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.
