Mariners Rumors: Phillies had outlandish Alec Bohm asking price in trade talks

Seattle Mariners' President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto is one of the most active executives in the game, with some former players not too happy with his fantasy baseball-type of roster turnover.

With Dipoto's propensity to involve himself in seemingly every deal that gets mentioned, the Mariners are rumored to be in the mix for quite a few players. When you factor in the teams extremely deep farm system and elite-level pitching staff, most teams around the league will be interested in trading with the Mariners this winter.

One rumor that has been circulating for a good part of the offseason is the Mariners and their interest in Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm. We have talked about it here, and his fit for this club is almost perfect. But with new reports surfacing, a deal might be further away than many of us thought.

Phillies asking price for Alec Bohm trade included either George Kirby or Logan Gilbert

Adam Jude of The Seattle Times reported the Mariners and Dipoto have been doing their due diligence in trying to find a solution at third base. Part of that process involved reaching out to the Phillies about Alec Bohm, a player who has seemingly been made available.

Jude reported the two sides have had early talks of a trade, but those conversations started with Philadelphia asking for one of Logan Gilbert or George Kirby. Um ... excuse us?

Kirby and Gilbert have been two of the better pitchers in baseball, while still just in the beginning phases of arbitration. Gilbert has combined to put up 10.2 fWAR over three full seasons, earning some Cy Young votes in 2024. Kirby, like Gilbert, has been a model of consistency, throwing 190 2/3 and 191 innings in each of the last two years. He has put up back-to-back four fWAR seasons and will only be 27 to start the 2025 season.

Bohm, 28, has two years of club control left and is coming off a career season that saw his best defense yet. Also, his 115 wRC+ marked a career high by far (106 OPS+ in 2023). His impact lies on producing with runners in scoring position, limiting strikeouts, and hitting for average. All told, Bohm doesn't possess the middle-of-the-lineup impact that Dipoto should require if he were to move one of the better pitchers in the game.

The Mariners are built around their excellent pitching, and Bohm is a solid player, but this asking price just makes zero sense. Not only are you trading from your starting pitching that has carried you, something that Dipoto has advocated against doing, but this valuation is so far off from Dave Dombrowski. But hey, you can't blame them for trying.