Welcome back to the 2025-26 edition of Smash or Pass, in which we examine potential free agent and trade targets to determine whether the Red Sox should pursue them and what it would take to land them. Next up, a third baseman who may or may not be on the trading block.
Who is he and where does he come from?
Alec Bohm is a 29-year-old, right-handed third baseman who was selected third overall by the Phillies in the 2018 MLB draft. He played for the Falmouth Commodores and excelled in the Cape Cod League during college at Wichita State.
He made his MLB debut in 2020, had earned the starting job at third base by the end of that season, and finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting. He was a key player for the Phillies during their World Series run in 2022, and he hit the 1000th home run in World Series history, which is objectively awesome. In 2024, he was an All Star and participated in the Home Run Derby.
He’s known around Philly as Raffe or Raffy because teammate Bryson Stott once said the six-foot-five guy with the reddish hair looks like a giraffe.
He’s good enough to have been an All-Star in 2024, and to receive praise from the likes of Bryce Harper, who saluted his “impact bat” as recently as July 2025. But in 2025, another word that you commonly saw associated with him is “capable.” Don’t get me wrong; capable is nothing to sneeze at. We’ve had our share of incapable and that won’t get the job done. Earlier high hopes for his career have more or less yielded to a sense of what-could-have been, as he sits somewhere near league-average in both offensive and defensive stats.
TL;DR, just give me his 2025 stats
He was good for 1.5 WAR in 2025, with a slash line of .287/.331/.409. He hit 11 HR, with 59 RBI, and stole two bases. Bohm played 120 games because he was on the Injured List with a fractured rib.
Why would he be a good fit for the Red Sox?
He’s a right-handed bat, and he plays third base. The Sox are theoretically auditioning players for both of those roles. With Alex Bregman’s status still up in the air, there are still significant question marks in our infield for 2026. Signing a third baseman who is more or less average defensively might not be the worst thing in the world. Barring any other significant moves by Craig Breslow, it would allow Marcelo Mayer (in theory) to become the starting second baseman, thereby avoiding pretending that David Hamilton, Nick Sogard, or Romy Gonzalez are the answers there, even on a rotating basis. (And I need to say it again: Ceddanne Rafaela at second base? NO.) Signing Bohm might be the last piece in providing stability for the Red Sox infield.
Why wouldn’t he be a good fit on the Red Sox?
Does the story of a young-at-heart, perhaps immature, third baseman known as Raffy who didn’t quite live up to potential sound familiar? That’s why he might not be a good fit for the Sox.
There are other reasons too. Bohm is a right-handed bat, yes; but he’s no impact bat. His batting average is decent and his OBP is around league-average. He’s mostly a singles guy who doesn’t walk much at all and doesn’t consistently hit for power. He hit 18 doubles in 2025; compare that to Bregman’s 28 and remember they both spent time on the IL. Bohm has no speed, so he won’t turn a single into anything more, or race for home. Looking at his hits spray chart from Baseball Savant, it doesn’t look as though he’ll be able to make much use of the Green Monster.
via Baseball Savant
His fielding isn’t terrific; he had -2 Outs Above Average last season. The Sox have said they’ve turned over a new leaf with regards to defense, so this may not play well (no pun intended) with that new philosophy.
His RBI total dropped from 97 in 2023 and 2024 to just 59 in 2025. A glance at Baseball Savant shows that Bohm significantly dropped off at the plate and in the field from his 2024 performance, but the question is why. He was out with a rib fracture that at first went undiagnosed, and that surely held him back after his return.
Is part of the answer to that question in his psychological makeup? Bohm was part of the group of Phillies players known as the “daycare” which started out as a way to affectionately embrace the energy of several young players on a team stocked with veterans. The nickname perhaps hasn’t aged well over the past several years, as it’s taken on a sense of immaturity and unrealized potential. Harper tried to call an end to the daycare era, which may have been a way of trying to lead Bohm and others into embracing a more veteran frame of mind. (At age 29, he is firmly mid-career.)
He’s known to be streaky, slam equipment, glare or respond poorly in interviews, and argue or otherwise get offended by calls. He repeatedly slammed his bat into the bat rack after a strikeout (in the first inning, no less) in 2022 and somehow cut his own neck in the melee, dripping blood onto his neck and uniform.
Who needs that? He was infamously benched in the 2024 NLDS with Phillies manager Rob Thomson calling for different “energy” in the lineup. AJ Pierzynski offered his thoughts on Foul Territory at the time, saying that there were multiple folks within the organization who had tired of Bohm’s schtick.
People might be willing to put up with a petulant superstar, but less likely to grit their teeth in the face of moodiness coupled with simply playing around league-average. With the perception that Bohm needs to be “handled,” you can see how that daycare moniker might be hanging on and why the Phillies have allegedly been looking to trade him for over a year.
He may have worn out his welcome with a significant part of the fan base in Philly, judging by numerous interviews, podcasts, and online comments from “insiders” and fans alike. You’ve got to appreciate the brevity and wit of commenter RileyIsKing who simply wrote “BOHM” followed by four skull-and-crossbones emojis.
But Philly is Philly, okay? They eat players alive and score fourth in MLB when it comes to the “ruthlessness” of their fans. It’s fair to take anything said in the heat of the moment, or online, with a big grain of salt.
What would it take to get him?
The first question is whether or not Bohm is available. He’s not a free agent and has been signed by the Phillies on a one-year, $10.3M deal before hitting free agency next year. Despite the new deal, the rumor mill has him moving (for the second offseason in a row, so there’s another grain of salt). Time will tell.
Earlier in December, ESPN’s Eric Karabell’s thoughts were widely repeated: that the Phillies and Red Sox were essentially perfect trade partners since the Red Sox outfield is loaded, while the Phillies need an upgrade there. He posited Jarren Duran for a package that includes Bohm. What could the rest of that package entail—prospects? Cash?—but I’d like to see Craig Breslow ask for a bit more since it seems to me like the Phillies need Duran more than we need Bohm right now. I’ll return to that “right now” in a moment.
See what happens when you have a six-foot-five giraffe playing third base. I can’t think of another infielder who would have been able to reach that drive.
Pass. I believe in changes of scenery and second chances, but this doesn’t feel like a fit. Any of these reasons are good enough on their own: he’s not the big bat we need, he’s not a defensive upgrade, and he might bring down the clubhouse energy with outbursts and pouting. Bohm could fill a hole if and when the Red Sox get to the point of considering running out Hamilton, Sogard, or Gonzalez at second base—that is an absolute non-starter for me. If that happens, I’ll be singing another tune because any other option will be an improvement. Maybe we can circle back to this conversation then.