The Philadelphia Phillies are looking for a catcher, and the Pittsburgh Pirates need a third baseman. So, it seems MLB's two Pennsylvania teams are a natural match for a trade.
Well, maybe.
MLB.com's Todd Zolecki speculates that the Phillies might have interest in trading for Pirates catcher Joey Bart as Philadelphia catcher J.T. Realmuto is eligible for free agency. Pittsburgh Baseball Now's Danny Demilio believes the Pirates should trade for Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm.
A Bart-for-Bohm trade makes sense on the surface. However, there is one reason why it won't. The budget-minded Pirates would not be willing to pay the approximately $10-million salary Bohm will have in 2026, even though Pittsburgh saved roughly $30 million by trading third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes to the Cincinnati Reds in July.
I can't complain about the Pirates being cheap in this situation. Neither the Pirates nor any other team should want Bohm on an eight-figure salary in 2026. Though Bohm was an All-Star last year, he hit .287/.331/.409 with 11 home runs in 120 games this past season while having minus-3 defensive runs saved at third base.
It wasn't a bad season, but it wasn't a good one. Bohm is also 29 years old, and his bWAR fell from 3.0 last year to 1.3 this year, a sign he could be entering the decline phase of his career. Furthermore, Bohm is a right-handed hitter, and that is not advantageous for playing home games at PNC Park.
If the Pirates were to trade Bart to the Phillies, it is doubtful they would be able to get any other player back who could immediately impact a lineup that finished last in the big leagues in runs scored this year. After all, Bart hit .249/.355/.340 with four home runs in 93 games, and his DRS was minus-6 this past season.
Instead, a more likely trade involving Bart would bring back a prospect and a throw-in.
The Pirates could possibly get infield prospect Aroon Escobar and reliever Michael Mercado. Escobar ranks as the Phillies' No. 4 according to Baseball America, and the 20-year-old hit .270/.361/.413 with 15 home runs and 24 stolen bases in 120 games combined at Double-A and both Class A levels this year.
Mercado, 26, has struggled while making cameos with the Phillies in each of the last two seasons, going 1-2 with an 11.81 ERA in two starts and six relief appearances. He also had a 4.59 ERA in 42 games with Triple-A Lehigh Valley this past season. However, Mercado does have the pedigree of being a second-round draft pick.
It's not the trade Pirates' fans are clamoring for, but it's the most realistic return for a player like Bart.