The Phillies made a splash at the trade deadline, acquiring three-time batting champion Luis Arraez in a deal with the San Francisco Giants. The move prompted an infield reorganization which in turn could determine the future of the newest member of the Phillies.

With Luis Arraez now penciled in at second base, Bryson Stott made the transition to third base, a position he had only previously appeared at twice during his major league career. Since his debut in 2022, Stott has played 575 games at second including 107 so far this year. Originally called up as a shortstop, he made the switch permanently to second with the signing of Trea Turner in 2023 and found a home there, becoming one of the most consistent defensive players at the position in the league. 

Stott’s performance was a breath of fresh air for a Phillies team that has struggled defensively. In fact, he holds the all-time major league record for best fielding percentage at second base at .994. Overall he has appeared at 575 games, committing just 13 errors in 2,216 innings of work. This is only three more than he has at shortstop where he has played 825.2 innings, which shows that he is far superior at the right side of the infield.

Will Bryson Stott move be temporary or permanent for Phillies?

Moving Stott to third temporarily makes sense as Arraez provides a big spark to the Phillies lineup, especially from a contact standpoint. He has consistently been among the best hitters in baseball, as evidenced by several batting titles. Whether this is a long-term partnership with Arraez beyond just the 2026 season hinges in large part on the defensive performance of Stott at his new position. If he can make the transition to third and play at a high level, the Phillies will likely be willing to keep him at the position even after the 2026 season commences. This seems to be the most logical solution going forward at third base, with the future of Alec Bohm in question and Aidan Miller dealing with a back injury and still not ready to perform at the major league level. 

Another possible solution would be to move Trea Turner and put Stott back at shortstop, but the Phillies appear unwilling to move him, despite some of his misfortunes at the position. Turner is signed until 2034, and while he could move to the DH spot in the future, it is not likely to happen anytime soon with Kyle Schwarber in that load-bearing role.

Arraez has made it clear he wants to play second base and the Phillies will have to take this into consideration if they plan on keeping him past this year. If Stott shows that he can be a reliable third baseman, this makes the decision to keep Arraez an enticing one for the Phillies.

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