The Phillies’ infield picture is headed for another shakeup, and one possible path runs through Bryson Stott.
Philadelphia’s 2026 infield changed quickly after the trade for Luis Arraez. Bryce Harper moved to the outfield, Alec Bohm shifted across the diamond, and Stott slid from second base to third. Now Bohm and Arraez are both headed for free agency, leaving Dave Dombrowski to piece the unit back together again.
One of the clearest early moves would send Harper back to first base. That would also give the Phillies room to chase an upgrade in right field, with Seiya Suzuki or even Teruaki Sato mentioned as possible targets.
The real problem sits at third base. The free-agent market there does not offer much, and Bohm remains one of the best available options. That creates a tough question for Philadelphia: was his strong but brief October showing enough to overlook the decline that came before it?
The answer may be no. The Phillies cannot afford another season from Bohm with an OPS under .700 and shaky defense attached.
Betting on a bounceback would use up one of the team’s best chances to improve the roster in a real way. The bigger issue is lineup balance, too.
The most dangerous bats in the order, Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper, hit left-handed, and the Phillies need more right-handed pop.
Against lefties last season, Philadelphia ranked 15th in batting average at .241. Their .705 team OPS versus southpaws ranked 16th. Those numbers are not disastrous, but they are not the kind of split that screams championship-level attack.
That is why the trade market makes sense, and Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung stands out as one possible answer. The 28-year-old right-handed hitter posted a .299/.365/.462 line with 12 homers in 104 games in 2026. He would not come cheaply, though, and a deal would likely require Bryson Stott along with a mid-tier prospect.
From Texas’ side, the logic is easy enough to see. President of baseball operations Chris Young has said the club wants to get"younger, more athletic, and more dynamic."
The Rangers also have top prospect Sebastian Walcott, No. 8 on MLB Pipeline’s top 100, ready to step into Jung’s spot. Stott could fill their second-base opening while also adding athleticism.
For Philadelphia, the appeal is obvious. A Jung trade would upgrade third base, cut down on arbitration costs, and bring back an extra year of team control. He would also instantly become the Phillies’ best right-handed hitter, and his work against lefties in 2026 - .366/.448/.545 - fits exactly what the lineup needs.
Of course, moving Stott creates a new opening at second base. That is where a return to Luis Arraez enters the picture.
The first go-around did not fully click. Arraez hit .278 in a Phillies uniform and later suffered a late-season ankle sprain that kept him off the playoff roster.
Even so, the sample was too small to dismiss him, especially with his long track record as a contact hitter.
If the Phillies were to pull all of this off, the end result would be a much different infield. Jung and Arraez would bring more contact-driven production, and that would mesh with the power Harper and Schwarber already provide.
Losing Stott’s defense and baserunning would hurt. But if it produces a deeper, more balanced lineup, Dombrowski should at least seriously weigh it. The Phillies have already seen what a feast-or-famine offense can do in October, and it has been stopped enough times since 2024.
In Other News...
Braves Fans Will Instantly Recognize This World Series Parallel
A late-inning jolt from a rookie can feel like the kind of moment that shifts a World Series, especially when it comes in the 12th and puts his team ahead in dramatic fashion. Cooper Pratt delivered exactly that kind of swing, and for Braves fans, the scene probably felt uncomfortably familiar right away. The energy, the timing and the sense that a postseason game had just turned were all there, along with the uneasy memory of how quickly a championship script can change.
Milwaukee got the kind of lift that usually becomes a postseason legend, only for the Tampa Bay Rays to answer in the bottom half and flip the night back the other way. It is the sort of sequence Atlanta followers know too well from a recent October heartbreak, when a huge swing seemed to set one path in motion before the other dug in and changed the outcome. For Braves fans, the parallel is hard to miss, and it leaves plenty of room to wonder whether this latest version ends the same way or breaks the pattern instead. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Suddenly Face A Tough Jurickson Profar Decision
Jurickson Profar is back on a field again, but his return comes with more uncertainty than clarity for the Braves. The outfielder recently played for Tiburones de La Guaira in the Venezuelan Winter League, his first game action since receiving a 162-game suspension for a second PED violation that cost him the 2026 season, and Atlanta is now sorting through what comes next as it tries to map out the roster and the clubhouse.
Alex Anthopoulos has said the organization plans to have internal discussions about Profars future, which puts the Braves in an awkward spot after a season lost to suspension. Ronald Acua Jr. has also said Profar distanced himself from the team after the ban, adding another layer to a situation that is still very much unresolved as Atlanta weighs how to handle one of its more complicated offseason questions. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Face Tough Price Decision On Two Key Free Agents
Jim Bowdens free-agent projections put the Braves in a familiar winter spot, trying to weigh fit against price on two players who matter in very different ways. Mauricio Dubon brings the kind of defensive versatility teams value when the market gets thin, and the Athletic piece suggests there may not be much competition at shortstop if clubs start circling. For Atlanta, that can turn a reasonable ask into a tougher one, especially if other teams decide they need a glove-first option who can move around the diamond.
Raisel Iglesias is the more straightforward name, but not necessarily the easier call. Bowden projected the veteran closer at one year and $17 million after another All-Star-level season, yet the Braves may pause before going that high with a reliever on the roster already and some age-related caution attached to the deal. It leaves Atlanta staring at two free agents who could help right away, while also forcing a decision on how much certainty they want to buy this offseason. [Read more 🡒]