The Philadelphia Phillies are 9-6 with the best pitching staff in baseball, so all criticism should be tempered. This team still feels like the favorites not only to win the NL East, but potentially to represent the National League in the World Series. Few groups are more experienced on the postseason stage in recent years.
That said, it's clear the problems which led to Philadelphia's premature postseason exit in 2024 still persist. The Phils are stacked on the pitching front, but the offense has serious holes. Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Trea Turner remain as intimidating a trio as you'll find in MLB, but the supporting cast is... limited.
Brandon Marsh was officially benched on Monday. He may not even get a chance to reclaim his job if Johan Rojas performs like someone remotely resembling an MLB hitter. Meanwhile, Alec Bohm has been the worst qualified hitter in baseball through 14 games. His minus-0.7 WAR is glaring, but it almost doesn't do justice to his struggles.
Bohm is 1-for-20 in his last five games. He has one extra-base hit so far this season, which is typically his bread and butter. Hard contact and doubles. The 28-year-old third baseman floundered after the All-Star break last season, and those issues have carried over to the 2025 campaign. He's jumping on too many early pitches and swinging out of his shoes in hitter-friendly counts.
One can't help but wonder what the Phillies might look like with Alex Bregman at third base instead.
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Phillies' lack of seriousness in Alex Bregman pursuit looks fatal amid Alec Bohm slump
Philadelphia was heavily connected to free agent Alex Bregman in the early stages of this past offseason. There was a prevalent belief that the Phillies might trade Bohm and move to acquire a more established corner infielder, like Bregman.
In the end, that pursuit never really left the ground. Philadelphia held its chips close to the vest all winter, signing Max Kepler to a one-year deal and trading for Jesús Luzardo, but otherwise avoiding seismic additions. With one of MLB's heftiest payrolls, Dave Dombrowski has been uncharacteristically gun shy in recent years. The Phillies letting Bregman pass them by was disappointing, but hardly a surprise.
Fast forward to April 14, however, and it's hard not to think the Phillies dug their grave in a sense by not pursuing Bregman. This offense could use a more stable slugging threat behind the Schwarber-Turner-Harper trio. Nick Castellanos runs hot and cold. Bohm, who began the season as a cleanup hitter, mostly runs cold.
Bregman has been sensational for the Boston Red Sox. He's slashing .290/.342/.464 with two home runs and 12 RBI, compared to .150/.164/.167 with zero home runs and three RBI for Bohm.
Fenway is particularly suited to Bregman's hitting profile, but Citizens Bank Park is also quite friendly to sluggers. Bregman is, in many ways, an optimized version of Bohm. He generates hard contact and racks up extra-base hits, even if he's not prolific in the HR department. Bregman is also a much better defender, which the Phils could use as Turner's glove depreciates at shortstop.
Bregman cost a lot in the end — $40 million per year — but Philadelphia is about to clear a ton of money off the books in 2026. Rather than waiting until important contracts expire, perhaps Philadelphia shouldn't been more aggressive this season and let the books clear up with Bregman already on the roster.
Oh, well... it didn't happen, and the Phillies are stuck with Bohm for now. When the story of this season is written, don't be shocked if Philadelphia's decision to pass on Bregman ages like rotten cheese.