Losing in the Major League Baseball playoffs will always leave a team searching for answers. And the Philadelphia Phillies have more questions than most right now.
2024 proved to be a major letdown for the Phillies, who spent much of the season with the league's best record, only to fail to win a playoff series for the first time since 2021. After losing to the hated New York Mets in the National League Division Series this week, the Phillies' mood is downtrodden.
Lots of disappointing performances had to happen for the Phillies to crash out of the playoffs, but perhaps none hurt more than that of third baseman Alec Bohm. After making his first All-Star team this season, Bohm was benched for a game against the Mets while struggling at the plate and in the field.
Bohm's promising 2024 season slowly withered away throughout the second half, aided by a nagging hand injury that cost him time in September. Now, with two years remaining on his rookie contract, Bohm could be at a crossroads with the Phillies.
Insider Matt Gelb speculated that the Phillies could explore a trade for Bohm this winter, and although that scenario seems unlikely, his long-term future with the Phillies is very much in question.
"(The Phillies) could look to move (Bohm) while he still has those two years of club control. It’s unlikely. Bohm posted a career-high 117 OPS+, meaning he was 17 percent better than league average. But the club is high on Aidan Miller, a 20-year-old infielder who reached Double A at the end of the season," Gelb said.
"Maybe the way Bohm’s season ended crystallized his long-term future. He has a place in the immediate plans. But, should Miller progress, the Phillies could be content to let Bohm walk after the 2026 season."
Bohm, who turned 28 earlier this season, was phenomenal in the first half, posting a .295/.348/.482 slash line while leading the league in doubles. But his OPS plummeted to .681 in 49 games after the All-Star break, leaving him with a 117 OPS+ and 3.0 wins above replacement for the season.
After picking him third overall in the 2018 MLB Draft out of Wichita State, the Phillies have been teased several times into thinking Bohm was finally becoming the star they always thought he could be. This year's first half could have been the most painful false alarm of them all.
There's still next season for Bohm to prove once and for all that he can be the third baseman of the next half-decade for the Phillies. But the pressure will be at an all-time high, and another season like this one won't be enough to lock in the job.
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