Mariners should revisit Phillies-Alec Bohm trade talks with this new proposal

The Seattle Mariners and Philadelphia Phillies have been tied together as potential trade partners for much of this offseason. The Mariners need a solid-hitting infielder, especially at third base, and the Phillies are trying to move one in Alec Bohm.

The first round of talks didn't get very far with the Phillies reportedly asking for Logan Gilbert or George Kirby. The Mariners balked at those requests, and rightfully so. However, with no one biting on the price the Phillies want for Bohm, it's time for the Mariners to come back and make a counterproposal.

The Phillies have been taking calls from around the league to find a deal for Bohm. The common theme from these talks is that the Phillies want far more for Bohm than any team is willing to pay. They are going to have to lower their asking price or they will be stuck with him. However, a deal between the Phillies and Mariners is there that would make a lot of sense for both teams.

The Phillies want one of Seattle's young pitchers in return, but that just isn't going to happen. Both Gilbert and Kirby have far more value than Bohm, who is good, but not an elite player. During a career year for him, he only posted a 3.0 WAR and .779 OPS. So while it doesn't make sense to trade Gilbert or Kirby for him, a Luis Castillo for Alec Bohm trade makes a bunch of sense for both teams.

The Mariners are looking to move Castillo and his contract to open up money to use on other parts of their team. He is still a good starting pitcher that will eat innings for you and give you a chance to win on most of his starts. He isn't the dominant ace that he used to be, but the Phillies don't need that. They need another starter who can give them innings and win in big games, and Castillo can do that.

For the Mariners, Bohm would give them an everyday starting third baseman who can hit. Bohm had a career-high .779 OPS and 117 OPS+. He gets on base at a good clip and can be a reliable everyday player. He will only cost around $8 million this year and will be under team control for the 2026 season as well. This would give the Mariners around $17 million to use to upgrade the rest of their infield this offseason as well.

While Bohm isn't worth the Phillies' initial asking price, he can still be a good get for the Mariners for the right deal. Trading Castillo for an upgrade at third and saving money should get the job done and make ownership happy. If the Mariners can get the Phillies to soften on their requests, they should pull the trigger on this hypothetical deal.