This Mariners-Phillies trade should land Seattle new third baseman Alec Bohm

Unlike the free agent market, the Seattle Mariners are seemingly one of the more active teams on the trade front. It seems that the priority is to bolster the infield, and with third base now vacant following the non-tendering of Josh Rojas, it could be the most important position to fill for 2025.

The Mariners have reportedly been discussing a trade to bring Alec Bohm aboard but initial discussions have resulted in completely unrealistic return packages by the Phillies. This is the nature of negotiations, as both teams will start high and meet somewhere towards the middle. So what could a final deal look like for both teams?

The current narrative is that the Phillies are searching for more starting pitching depth. The Phillies rotation combined for a 3.81 ERA in 2024, which was good for eighth in MLB. Zack Wheeler was outstanding on the way to a second-place Cy Young finish and his supporting cast was also effective with the exception of one person: Taijuan Walker.

Walker was one of the worst starting pitchers in MLB, posting a 7.10 ERA over 83 2/3 innings and amassing -1.6 rWAR. Things got so bad that after 15 starts that he was moved to the bullpen, but he still failed to salvage his season. He is signed through 2026, so Philadelphia will have to trade him away or take the financial blow, but they can't afford to keep him in the rotation if they want to make a deeper playoff run next year.

Luckily for the Mariners, they have a plethora of starting pitching talent. However, they may not be eager to trade any of their existing major-league talent away. Position players have expressed how they feel about the rotation and it may be a necessary condition for team success, especially given the lackluster offense. On the other hand, a logjam in the rotation allows the Mariners to part with some of its top prospects pain-free. Before we can consider what prospect haul to send off, we have to understand exactly what the team would be getting in Bohm.

After debuting in 2020, Bohm had inconsistent results as the team's starting third baseman. A poor defender, he accumulated -46 DRS from 2020-2023. He wasn't a great hitter by any means either, posting an average 101 OPS+ over this span.

However, key adjustments in 2024 helped turn the tide, giving him the best year of his career and earning him 3.0 rWAR. He slashed .280/.332/.448 with 44 doubles while managing to be a league-average fielder, both encouraging forward steps. As is typical of many hitters without the natural gift of power, his bat-to-ball skills were great. He had a whiff rate of 17.6% (86th percentile) and a strikeout rate of 14.2% (92nd percentile) while being excellent at maximizing his power, squaring up at a 32.8% clip.

Bohm is under control through 2026 and will have two arbitration years remaining, which gives the M's flexibility with his predictable salary as well as the possibility of trading him/cutting him loose after 2025 if things don't work out. Unfortunately, this would also drive up his price. So what could the Mariners expect to send to Philadelphia to win his services?

Hancock is on the cusp of being a solid starter. He made 12 big-league starts in 2024 and logged a 4.75 ERA — satisfactory production for what would be a back-of-the-rotation arm for the Phillies. He also has considerable upside and was one of the top prospects in the Mariners system for a reason. He needs a little more time to adjust to major-league hitting, and with Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller in front of him the path forward for Hancock is tough (if not nonexistent) in Seattle.

To slightly sweeten the deal, the Mariners could also send Taylor Dollard, a starting pitcher prospect who posted a 2.25 ERA over 27 starts in Double-A in 2022. Hamstrung by injury for the past two seasons, he would serve as a lottery ticket. It's clear that he had outstanding stuff pre-injury but it remains to be seen how he'll be after nearly two years off from professional competition. Less of a surefire opportunity for the Phillies than Hancock, he could still end up being a dark horse difference maker for the organization.

There could be quite a few teams interested in acquiring Alec Bohm, but if Seattle deals from their deepest asset, they could manage to stand out above the rest. They seem to be the frontrunner in negotiations and have the most to offer, a promising sign for the organization. Could he be the answer to a sagging infield lineup? Potentially, but we'll only find out if the M's pull the trigger.