Fresh link to volatile third baseman will give Mariners fans unwanted flashbacks

The Mariners have been quiet after the Josh Naylor signing. With little information to speak of, Seattle has found itself back in the offseason rumor mill where being arbitrarily linked to a free agent is almost as good as the real thing.

While the roster that will ultimately take the field on Opening Day is still uncertain, what's clearer are the team's current needs. If they want to be a competitive team in 2026, they need a more compelling option at third base — and unless they feel like breaking the bank for Alex Bregman, the free agent options are less than ideal. Instead of the open market, they could explore a trade, which is something they almost did last year before negotiations quickly fell apart. This year, the conversation could be revisited.

Alec Bohm has been mentioned as a potential trade candidate that could fit well with the Mariners

In a recent article for ESPN, Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel pegged Bohm's chance of being traded at 50 percent with the Mariners being one of seven possible fits. This isn't the first time that he has been connected to Seattle, as the exact same conversation was had around this time last year.

So why did Seattle opt to trot out Jorge Polanco at third base on Opening Day instead of Bohm? Well, in exchange for a player who had accumulated 3.8 rWAR and posted a 104 OPS+ up until that point, the Phillies allegedly wanted either George Kirby or Logan Gilbert, a lopsided deal to say the least. After the results of the 2025 season, Bohm seems to have even less upside.

Bohm posted a 102 OPS+ with 18 doubles, a steep decline from the 44 that he collected the year prior. He had a respectable batting average of .287 thanks to his excellent bat-to-ball skills, but it came at the cost of power and plate discipline. Profiling similar to Luis Arráez, Bohm's eagerness to put the ball in play limited him to 5.8 walk rate and a barrel rate in the bottom quartile of qualified hitters. He remained slightly below league-average defensively and was one of the least productive baserunners in MLB.

To top it all off, he's estimated to make $10.3 million in arbitration this year, which could be one of the reasons that the Phillies seem enthusiastic to shop him around. They may even lower the price to sweeten the pot, but even if he came at the cost of no prospects or big league talent, he'd still occupy a roster spot that could go to someone more effective. The case could even be made that Ben Williamson, who accumulated nearly as much rWAR in half the playing time, has more potential for greatness than Bohm. Furthermore, the front office may have their sights set on a different infielder that actually could move the needle.

Yes, Seattle needs someone who fits the typical third baseman profile a little more closely, but they don't need to fill the spot with just anyone. It's important that the front office doesn't make any rash decisions at this careful inflection point in the franchise's history and instead focus on picking up the right talent when they need it. Whether that means a deal for a different player or elevating an internal option remains to be seen, but it's safe to say it won't be Alec Bohm manning the hot corner for Seattle in 2026.