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.
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