Phillies rumor round-up: Bohm, Crochet, Soto and more

Phillies rumor round-up: Bohm, Crochet, Soto and more originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The first big free-agent name came off the board Tuesday night as Blake Snell agreed to a five-year, $182 million contract with the Dodgers that includes deferrals in the $60 million range, according to multiple reports.

Snell was viewed as one of the top free agents in this year’s class, along with outfielder Juan Soto, infielders Alex Bregman and Willy Adames and pitchers Corbin Burnes and Max Fried.

The Phillies have shown interest in Soto, even if they don’t expect to be the favorites in a competitive race. Soto has already reportedly met with five teams — the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, Red Sox and Blue Jays.

It might cost $600 million. It might cost more. The Yankees are desperate to keep Soto and should be after watching his transformational ability up close for a year. They also want to avoid the double dose of humiliation of losing him to the Mets. The Mets, meanwhile, have baseball’s richest owner and a clear desire to keep spending.

It’s just hard to see any team trumping an offer made by the New York teams.

What else is going on in Phillies land less than two weeks out from the Winter Meetings?

Bohm rumors

Alec Bohm’s name has been on the rumor mill since the week after the Phillies’ season ended. He didn’t hit down the stretch and was benched in Game 2 of the NLDS, a response to his poor play and more on-field sulking than they would have liked to see.

The free-agent market does not offer many ideal positional fits for the Phillies because after Soto, the best available outfielders are more complementary pieces or players like Anthony Santander, whose value may be inflated by a career year he may not be able to replicate.

That’s why you’ve heard so much already this offseason about the Phillies needing to explore trades. Improving might not — and probably will not — be a matter of making two or three decent-sized signings. It will likely include trading away a mainstay to gain value in another area.

Bohm, at 28 years old with two more years of arbitration eligibility before reaching free agency, has appeal. He’s coming off a season in which he hit .280 with 44 doubles, 15 home runs and 97 RBI, barely missing 100 two years in a row. He started at third base for the National League in the 2024 All-Star Game, which will surely be mentioned high in the press release of an acquiring team if he’s traded. He has an attractive offensive skill set with a swing and approach geared toward line drives and using the whole field.

Those are qualities the Phillies want to prioritize going into 2025, so it is telling that they’re still considering a Bohm trade. It signals that they either don’t believe he can maintain his current level of production for another 5-7 years, that they feel the current level of production isn’t quite enough, or they simply think he’s their most enticing trade asset. It’s probably all of the above.

Bohm also plays a position, third base, where the Phillies might be able to upgrade this winter. If they were to trade Bohm for a comparable player at a different position and replace him with an even better third baseman … well, that’s improvement. Alex Bregman is a free agent. So is Willy Adames, who is willing to move off shortstop if need be. Adames, like Santander, is coming off a career year a team cannot be certain he’ll repeat.

According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the Phillies have discussed with the Chicago White Sox a trade package of Bohm and top outfield prospect Justin Crawford for ascending lefty starter Garrett Crochet. Per that report, the White Sox have expressed reservations because of Bohm’s down second half.

It would certainly be an interesting way to shuffle things up. The 25-year-old Crochet emerged last season by striking out an absurd 209 batters in 146 innings for the worst team in baseball history. In 32 starts, he pitched to a 3.58 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. He was on an innings limit because he was so far above his prior career-high.

Crochet is at the same spot contractually as Bohm, heading into the second of three arbitration years before becoming a free agent after 2026. The Phillies pursued Crochet at this year’s trade deadline but couldn’t find a deal with the White Sox. They clearly believe he is for real and that he’ll be able to maintain that level of dominance moving forward.

What if they land Crochet?

You’d figure that if the Phillies do eventually acquire Crochet, they’d pivot and shop Ranger Suarez. There have already been rumblings this offseason that the Phillies are dangling Suarez, who like Bohm was one of the most productive players in the National League in the first half but dropped off sharply in the second half.

Suarez has one year left under contract and is a free agent after 2025, which would certainly affect any return in a trade.

Top-end starting pitching would be last on the list of the Phillies’ true needs since it’s their biggest strength, but if they acquire Crochet, they’d be protecting themselves against losing Suarez for nothing. And as popular as Suarez is here, Crochet might be the better bet over the next five years given Suarez’ reliance on pinpoint command.

It’s shaping up to be the Phillies’ most intriguing offseason in years. The Winter Meetings, typically a hotbed of activity, take place Dec. 9-12 in Dallas.

The Soto situation might slow everything, though. Agents know that the teams after him who don’t sign him will still need offense and have money to spend. And teams willing to trade might also be better served to wait out a Soto signing in hopes of adding the suitors he leaves behind.