Amid trade rumors, Dave Dombrowski expresses confidence in Alec Bohm
Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm is once again in the trade rumors. Dave Dombrowski, interestingly enough, mentioned Bohm unprompted as a player he is hoping to see improvement from in 2026.
“I think Bohm is going to have a much better year offensively,” Dombrowski said at the Baseball Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla. on Monday. “He was hurt last year for a time period. What did he do, drive in close to 100 runs runs the two years before that? I think he’s much closer to that type of hitter than he was last year.”
2025 was a down year for Bohm offensively. His RBI total dropped from 97 in each of the last two years to years to 59. His slugging percentage also dropped from .448 in 2024 to .409.
Bohm revealed in late September that he was dealing with left shoulder inflammation “off and on” for most of the season. He also missed a few weeks with a rib fracture following a hit-by-pitch in a game against the Padres just before the All-Star break.
There is a belief that Bohm should return to being the hitter he was in 2023 and 2024.
“So all of a sudden, you put him, that same guy, and he’s hitting somewhere fourth or fifth in your lineup, in addition to other (prospects). Again, it maybe changes the lineup, but saying that, I think it’s a pretty good addition in itself right there.”
Whether that type of hitter is good enough to hit in the middle of the lineup is a question the Phillies have been asking themselves for years. Bohm, with one year remaining before free agency, could still be a trade candidate in a market short of above average right-handed bats. The Phillies, however, would have to find a replacement.
“It’s hard to find right-handed hitters,” Dombrowski said. “I’m not sure how it will fall. I mean, we’ll explore all different types of options.”
Aidan Miller could be an internal solution as soon as early next year. The shortstop, who recently surpassed Andrew Painter on Baseball America’s top Phillies prospects list, will be a non-roster invite to spring training for a second straight season.
The Phillies plan to discuss Miller’s position for next year in the coming weeks. As of now, the club is not looking to move Trea Turner off of shortstop.
“He can play short, he can play third, he can play second,” Dombrowski said about Miller. “But we haven’t specified. I would think he would play all of them at some point to see what is best.”
Bohm’s name originally came up in the conversation when Dombrowski was asked about the Phillies making other changes in the lineup in the event that Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto are re-signed. The reporter mentioned that he doesn’t like to use the phrase, “running it back.” Dombrowski doesn’t like the term either.
Dombrowski reiterated that there will be some addition and subtraction. Justin Crawford will factor into the outfield plans. Otto Kemp could have a more prominent role. Max Kepler won’t be back. The Phillies are also looking at a “change of scenery” for Nick Castellanos.
“I’m not so sure when you win 96 games that you should really look to have to do a lot of things differently, but you’re always looking to get better,” Dombrowski said. “So, it’s very dependent upon, if you sign guys, how much money you spend, who else is available. I mean, if somebody is better than what you have, by all means, we’re open-minded to it.”
Phillies Nation’s Ty Daubert contributed to this report.