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 acted more like a carpenter than a designer.

Because if you think of the roster like a house, improvements were needed in certain areas. A renovated master bathroom here, a star shortstop there. So Dombrowski signed free agents Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos one year, Trea Turner and Taijuan Walker the next, Aaron Nola after that, and the winnings rose like real estate values.

Now, however, the Phillies’ feng shui is off. The successive postseason disappointments confirmed that the lineup has become homogeneous, with too many similar hitters who are overall too easy to target. Although a major overhaul is not necessary, the furniture does need to be rearranged.

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And the solution isn’t as simple as patching up the walls with money.

“We are more open-minded than in other years,” Dombrowski said earlier this month. “I think we have to continue where we were. We’re trying to get a little better.”

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

Rival executives appear to be taking note. Dombrowski recently said he’s been getting more calls than usual about Phillies players.

This has led to speculation that a trade is underway.

You can guess which players attract the most interest. It makes sense that more teams would inquire about the 28-year-old Alec Bohm – with two years of club control at a reasonable price ($8.1 million in 2025, according to MLB Trade Rumors’ arbitration projections) – than, say, Castellanos, who will do so will turn 33 in March and has $40 million in debt 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 lineup.

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But if the Phillies really want to change the mix, the most effective way might be to trade a player they value for another.

“We have a good list of priorities,” Dombrowski said. “We know who we are interested in at other clubs so we are really in a good position to move forward. Now you never know how aggressive other clubs want to be. That’s why the bigger things often happen at the winter meetings.”

The Winter Meetings don’t begin until December 8th, so we fantasy GMs have plenty of time to suggest a few trades using the captivating website baseballtradevalues.com. Dombrowski can thank us later.

Bohm, RHP Jean Cabrera to the Astros for OF Kyle Tucker

Stylistically, the Phillies need more Bohms, not less.

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

“He did almost 100 runs two years in a row; he is one of the best 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 was also benched in Game 2 of the division series amid a deep crisis, an uncharacteristic move by stalwart manager Rob Thomson. The Phillies have questioned Bohm’s maturity at times in the past. In October it seemed to be a problem again.

If he doesn’t factor in the long-term plan (he may be a free agent after 2026), trading him for an All-Star season makes sense. The Royals were reportedly among the teams that expressed interest, at least before trading for Reds infielder Jonathan India on Friday night.

The Astros will look 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 there, Bohm could help fill Houston’s need at first base.

Tucker and left guard Framber Valdez are entering the final year of their arbitration process, with salary projections of more than $15 million each and no guarantee that either will sign a contract extension. The trade would free up cash to bring Bregman back.

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“I don’t think we’re going to be doing multiple seven- or eight-year deals in our business,” Astros GM Dana Brown told reporters at general managers’ meetings earlier this month. “But if there’s an opportunity to sign a guy that we think will be good for six or seven years, I think (owner Jim Crane) would do that.”

Tucker, 27, has averaged 28 home runs with an .888 OPS over the past four seasons. The three-time All-Star would fill 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 lack .

The Astros are also expected to sign reliever Ryan Pressly, a former closer who will make $14 million next year. The Phillies could be interested. But to trade Bohm, they would almost certainly have to find a hitter like Tucker.

RHP Mick Abel, OF Griffin Burkholder to the Cardinals for RHP Ryan Helsley

There is a more complicated deal to discuss here.

As the Cardinals embark on a so-called “restart,” they are expected to move closer to Ryan Helsley, a right-handed hitter with a 100 mph fastball and a projected salary of $6.9 million in his final season before the Free agency. If it doesn’t happen in the winter, it will certainly happen at the trade deadline.

But St. Louis is also exploring interest in Nolan Arenado. And that’s where things get interesting.

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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 has been in decline for three years, with his OPS falling from .891 in 2022 to .774 in 2023 and has now fallen to 0.719 year.

Even if Arenado were to waive his no-trade clause, the Cardinals would likely have to raise money to improve the return. Unless they tied him to another player (Helsley). Or accepted an unwanted contract from another team (Walker: $36 million over two more years from the Phillies). So maybe there is a path to a bigger deal.

For this exercise, we’ll keep it simple. Teams often collect more for closers when the deadline expires. But unlike the Brewers with Devin Williams and the Giants with Camilo Doval, the Cardinals aren’t expected to keep up. If they can attract two suitors to Helsley now, why wait?

The Phillies want to add at least one righty to the bullpen. Dombrowski loves power weapons. Helsley fits the description.

INF Aidan Miller, Abel, SS Bryan Rincon and INF Otto Kemp to the White Sox for LHP Garrett Crochet

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

It’s easier now.

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

” READ MORE: Dave Dombrowski says the Phillies are taking an “open-minded” approach to the offseason. How about trading for Garrett Crochet again?

The Phillies won’t trade top prospect Andrew Painter and would have to contend with Miller, their 2023 first-round pick and an advanced hitter at age 20. Maybe they could trade Bohm instead, although the White Sox probably won’t give up 121 losses in playoff contention before Bohm hits free agency.

But the Phillies’ interest in Yoshinobu Yamamoto last winter and Crochet at the deadline suggests a desire to add another elite arm to Zack Wheeler, Nola and eventually Painter at the top of a super rotation. Crochet posted 209 strikeouts in 146 innings this year, perhaps just scratching the surface.

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

Suárez to the Angels for OF Taylor Ward

Ward isn’t the biggest outfield name. But his skillset, particularly a 20.8% out-of-the-zone swing rate that placed him in the 94th percentile this season, fits the Phillies’ lineup needs.

However, it is unclear if Ward is available.

The Angels have made four moves – trading slugger Jorge Soler and signing catcher Travis d’Arnaud, pitcher Kyle Hendricks and infielder Kevin Newman – that signal they want to compete after nine straight losing seasons. Trading Ward, who led the team with 25 home runs this year and is controllable through 2026, wouldn’t fit that strategy.

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Unless, of course, they trade him for a starter who would slot in at the top end of their rotation.

Suárez was one of the best pitchers in the game before the All-Star break. The Phillies could discuss a contract extension for him this winter if another injury hadn’t caused a second-half stumble. He will be a free agent after next season at age 30.

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

“There are (teams) that say, ‘What about this guy?’ What’s wrong with that guy?’ (Because) we’re open-minded,” Dombrowski said. “That doesn’t mean per se that you’re going to do anything, but yes, we’re very open-minded about that. I think we are really well prepared for the future.”