Contending teams aren’t normally in the business of trying to trade away young, ascending talents who have multiple years of club control remaining, but that’s exactly what the Philadelphia Phillies did this offseason.
Coming off his first All-Star selection of his career, Alec Bohm was shopped by the front office as they looked to improve a lineup and roster that flamed out in disappointing fashion the past two years
Nothing came to fruition.
The Phillies still think highly of Bohm, and when teams inquired about the possibility of trading him, they asked for a monster haul in return that kept him with the team.
But what was the reason Philadelphia was even looking for a trade partner in the first place?
While the organization says it has everything to do with exploring all avenues to get better, there was an explosive report that suggested coaches, players and executives were growing tired of the immature attitude that Bohm has shown during his career.
That was on display again during the playoffs when he looked mentally checked out and made multiple errors and questionable decisions in the field while also performing poorly at the plate.
Many wonder how Bohm might react to his name being connected in multiple trade rumors coming off the best showing of his career, but Thomson offered an encouraging update heading into Spring Training.
“… a bunch of coaches were around him for a long time [this week]. They said he’s so positive. It seems like a different guy. He’s grown up again. He’s grown up so much since we first brought him to the big leagues. It looks like he’s taken another step. I’m really excited to see what he can do,” the skipper said per Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.
That’s certainly a positive thing to hear.
But, the cynic also has to point out that Thomson pretty much as to make that type of statement, even though he’s known to be a pretty straight shooter.
Barring a shocking blockbuster, Bohm is going to be the starting third baseman for the Phillies in 2025, and the manager is doing what he can to smooth things over before the team gets their long season underway.
Now 28 years old, the hope is Bohm would be mature enough to handle the ups and downs that come from a Major League campaign.
It looked like he took a step forward last season until he didn’t.
Thomson seems to think he’ll finally reach the final progression of being a professional baseball player this year.
If that’s the case and Bohm performs well, he could be a huge catalyst in Philadelphia winning their third World Series title.
