The Philadelphia Phillies seem to have a trade candidate on their hands.
After a disappointing playoff exit in 2024 and with a stated willingness to make changes this winter, trade rumors have swirled around All-Star third baseman Alec Bohm. Though he is coming off of his best season overall, Bohm slumped in the second half and was unable to make significant contributions in the team’s sole playoff series. Those struggles and his youth could make him a strong change-of-scenery candidate.
Projecting the possible trade returns that the Phillies might get for Bohm, Matt Dargan of FanSided pitched a blockbuster idea that would bring Seattle Mariners starter Logan Gilbert to Philadelphia.
“The Seattle Mariners are one of the latest teams reported to have interest in Bohm,” per Dargan. “With the Phillies rumored to be active on the trade market for starting pitching this offseason, it would seem that each team has something the other team wants. Is there a deal between the ball clubs that would make sense?”
Dargan noted that Gilbert, who is coming off of an All-Star season with a 3.23 ERA across 33 starts and 208.2 innings — the most innings logged by any Major League Baseball pitcher in 2024 — could be the most likely starter from Seattle’s formidable rotation to get dealt this offseason as he heads toward free agency.
“It’s clear Gilbert is a workhorse, and only two seasons removed from back-to-back 13-win seasons, a trade of Bohm and a mid-level prospect could possible get a deal done if the Mariners don’t believe they can extend the talented right-hander before he hits free agency following the 2027 season,” Dargan added.
The Mariners do seem to have an excess of starting pitchers, with Luis Castillo, George Kirby, Bryce Miller and Bryan Woo alongside Gilbert. And they might want to inject some offense into the roster, as they ranked second-to-last in all MLB in batting average this past season, ahead of just the Chicago White Sox.
Bohm, who slashed .280/.332/.448 in the 2024 campaign with a stellar first half, would be an instant upgrade at the hot corner for the Mariners with utilityman Josh Rojas potentially moving to another position.
As for an additional prospect to get the deal over the finish line, the Phillies could include the likes of Starlyn Caba, who is ranked within the top-100 of all baseball prospects but outside of the team’s likely-untouchable top-three names.
Landing Gilbert in such a trade would give the Phillies arguably the best rotation in baseball and it would instantly fill the fifth starter void left by the demise of Taijuan Walker. A team looking to make good on World Series aspirations in 2025 can never have too much pitching.