Let’s make a deal: Trade ideas for the ‘open-minded’ Phillies with Alec Bohm, Ranger Suárez, and more

In Dave Dombrowski’s previous offseasons in charge of the Phillies’ baseball operations, circumstances dictated that he act more like a carpenter than a designer.

Because if you think of the roster as a house, it required upgrades in specific areas. A refurbished master bathroom here, a star shortstop there. So, Dombrowski hammered out deals with free agents Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos one year, Trea Turner and Taijuan Walker the next, Aaron Nola after that, and the win total rose like a property value.

Now, though, the Phillies’ feng shui is off. Back-to-back postseason disappointments reinforced that the lineup has become homogeneous, with too many similar hitters who collectively are too easy to attack. It doesn’t call for a full-scale overhaul, but well, the furniture must be rearranged.

» READ MORE: Where have all the star center fielders gone? ‘Obvious’ position to fill Phillies’ needs lacks obvious solutions.

And the fix isn’t as straightforward as patching the walls with money.

“We’re more open-minded than what we have been in other years,” Dombrowski said earlier this month. “I think we need to be from where we’ve been. We’re trying to get a little bit better.”

Dombrowski has used that phrase — “open-minded“ — a lot lately. He also said this after the Phillies were booted from the playoffs in the divisional round: “Sometimes you trade good players for good players.“

Rival executives seem to be taking notice. Dombrowski recently said he has gotten more calls than usual about Phillies players.

It has led to speculation that a trade is afoot.

You can guess which players are generating the most interest. It makes sense that more teams would ask about 28-year-old Alec Bohm — with two years of club control at reasonable money ($8.1 million in 2025, according to MLB Trade Rumors’ arbitration projections) — than, say, Castellanos, who will turn 33 in March and is owed $40 million over the next two years.

None of this means Bohm won’t be the Phillies' opening-day third baseman. Or that Brandon Marsh won’t be in left field (or center). Or that Ranger Suárez will be in another team’s starting rotation.

» READ MORE: The Phillies' last great righty broke down at age 35 and retired at 36. Why they believe Zack Wheeler will stay elite in his mid-30s..

But if the Phillies are really going to change the mix, the most effective way might be to trade one player whom they value for another.

“We’ve got a good priority list,” Dombrowski said. “We know who interests us with other clubs, so we’re really in a good spot to move forward. Now, you never know how aggressive other clubs want to be. That’s why a lot of times the bigger stuff happens toward the winter meetings.”

The winter meetings don’t start until Dec. 8, so there’s plenty of time for us fantasy GMs to propose a few trades, with help from the highly addictive website baseballtradevalues.com. Dombrowski can thank us later.

Stylistically, the Phillies need more Bohms, not less.

While Turner, Castellanos, and others chased high heaters and fished for low breaking balls, Bohm swung at 27.2% of pitches out of the zone last season. (The major league average was 28.5%; the Phillies’ average was 30.3%.) He also was in the 92nd percentile in strikeout rate (14.2%) and used the field well.

“He knocked in close to 100 runs two years in a row; he’s one of the top hitters in the league; he’s improved defensively,” Dombrowski said. “Overall, he’s a really good player.”

» READ MORE: Which controllable players will be part of the Phillies' plan long-term?

But Bohm also got benched in Game 2 of the division series amid a deep slump, an uncharacteristic move by steady-handed manager Rob Thomson. The Phillies have questioned Bohm’s maturity at times in the past. It seemed to be an issue again in October.

If he doesn’t factor into the long-term plan (he can be a free agent after 2026), it makes sense to trade him off an All-Star season. The Royals were reportedly among the teams to express interest, at least before they traded for Reds infielder Jonathan India on Friday night.

The Astros will be looking for a third baseman if they don’t re-sign free agent Alex Bregman, an option for the Phillies to replace Bohm. Even if Bregman stays put, Bohm could help fill Houston’s first-base need.

Tucker and ace lefty Framber Valdez are entering their last year of arbitration, with salary projections of more than $15 million apiece and no guarantee that either will sign a contract extension. Trading one would free up cash to help bring back Bregman.

» READ MORE: World-class pitcher Roki Sasaki to be posted to MLB, impacting free-agent market. Will the Phillies join the chase?

“I don’t think we’re going to be in the business of giving multiple seven-year deals or multiple eight-year deals,” Astros GM Dana Brown told reporters at the general managers‘ meetings earlier this month. “But if there’s an opportunity to sign [one] guy that we feel is going to be good for six or seven years, I think [owner Jim Crane] would do it.”

Tucker, 27, has averaged 28 homers with an .888 OPS in the last four seasons. The three-time All-Star would fit the Phillies’ need for a big corner outfield bat while bringing the contact skills and strike-zone discipline (23.8% chase rate, 16% strikeout rate) they’re lacking.

The Astros also are expected to move reliever Ryan Pressly, a former closer who will make $14 million next year. The Phillies could have interest. But to trade Bohm, they almost certainly would have to come up with a hitter like Tucker.

There’s a more complicated deal to discuss here.

As the Cardinals embark on what they’re calling a “reset,” they’re expected to move closer Ryan Helsley, a righty with a 100 mph fastball and a projected $6.9 million salary in his final season before free agency. If it doesn’t happen in the winter, it certainly will at the trade deadline.

But St. Louis also is gauging interest in Nolan Arenado. And that’s where it gets interesting.

» READ MORE: John Middleton expects the Phillies to spend more on payroll in 2025, and they have options beyond Juan Soto

Arenado, who turns 34 in April, has three years and $74 million left on his contract. (The Rockies are responsible for $10 million of that.) His defense at third base remains solid, but he’s in a three-year decline at the plate, with his OPS falling from .891 in 2022 to .774 in 2023 and .719 this year.

Even if Arenado waived his no-trade clause, the Cardinals likely would have to pick up money to improve the return. Unless they tethered him to another player (Helsley). Or assumed another team’s unwanted contract (Walker: $36 million over two more years from the Phillies). So maybe there’s a path to a larger deal.

For this exercise, we’ll keep it simple. Teams often fetch more for closers at the deadline. But the Cardinals, unlike the Brewers with Devin Williams and the Giants with Camilo Doval, aren’t expected to contend. If they can get two prospects for Helsley now, why wait?

The Phillies are looking to add at least one righty to the bullpen. Dombrowski loves power arms. Helsley fits the description.

The Phillies looked into Crochet at the trade deadline, but a deal was complicated by the 25-year-old’s workload coming off elbow surgery and his demand for a contract extension in exchange for consenting to pitch in the postseason.

It’s more straightforward now.

There’s even a template for a Crochet deal. In March, the White Sox dealt controllable ace Dylan Cease for three players, including three of the Padres‘ top 10 prospects. They’re seeking a similar return for Crochet, who has two seasons left before free agency.

» READ MORE: Dave Dombrowski says the Phillies have an ‘open-minded’ offseason approach. What about revisiting a trade for Garrett Crochet?

The Phillies won’t trade top prospect Andrew Painter and would have to swallow hard on Miller, their 2023 first-round pick and an advanced hitter at age 20. Maybe they could peddle Bohm instead, although the White Sox probably won’t go from 121 losses to playoff contention before Bohm gets to free agency.

But the Phillies’ interest in Yoshinobu Yamamoto last winter and Crochet at the deadline indicates a desire to add another elite arm to Zack Wheeler, Nola, and eventually Painter atop a super-rotation. Crochet racked up 209 strikeouts in 146 innings this year and might have been only scratching the surface.

Adding Crochet also would enable the Phillies to consider flipping Suárez for an outfield bat, such as …

Ward isn’t the biggest outfield name. But his skill set, notably an out-of-the-zone swing rate of 20.8% that put him in the 94th percentile this season, suits the Phillies' lineup needs.

But it’s unclear that Ward is available.

The Angels have made four moves — trading for slugger Jorge Soler and signing catcher Travis d‘Arnaud, pitcher Kyle Hendricks, and infielder Kevin Newman — that signal they plan on contending after nine consecutive losing seasons. Trading Ward, who led the team with 25 homers this year and is controllable through 2026, wouldn’t fit with that strategy.

» READ MORE: The Phillies have to get creative to improve. That includes their hitters’ approach. Is that realistic?

Unless, of course, they swap him for a starter who would slot in near the top of their rotation.

Suárez was among the best pitchers in the sport before the All-Star break. The Phillies might be discussing a contract extension for him this winter if not for another injury that led to a second-half stumble. He will be a free agent at age 30 after next season.

Is Suárez part of the plan beyond 2025? If not, it might make more sense to move on from him sooner.

“There are [teams] that say, ‘What about this guy? What about that guy?’ [Because] we’re open-minded,” Dombrowski said. “It doesn’t mean you’re going to do anything, per se, but, yeah, we’re very open-minded in that regard. I think we’re really well-prepared to go forward.”