Alec Bohm’s first trip to free agency may not open the way he hoped.
The Philadelphia Phillies corner infielder is set to hit the market this offseason, and one MLB executive painted a pretty chilly picture of what comes next. In a conversation with MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, the executive suggested Bohm could be staring at a one-year “prove it” contract rather than the multiyear deal a player with his résumé might normally expect.
"He's young enough that you would expect him to get a multiyear deal given the pedigree, but he also defended poorly enough and hit poorly enough [worst wRC+ of his career] that he may prefer to rebuild his value on a one-year 'prove it' deal," an MLB executive told Feinsand.
That kind of outlook would have sounded a lot different a few years ago. Bohm was an All-Star in 2024 and looked like he was building toward a much stronger market with a breakout season at the plate. Now, that momentum has cooled, and the options may come with a catch.
If Bohm does chase a longer-term contract, the executive believes it could arrive at a lower average annual value than he’d like. That puts Bohm in a tough spot: take the security of more years, or bet on himself and try to cash in again after a strong 2027 season.
There are still things clubs can point to. Bohm is a right-handed corner infielder with enough bat-to-ball skill and defense that isn’t a liability.
But the rest of the profile hasn’t done him many favors. The lack of speed, the limited power, and the muted overall production lately all weigh on his market.
Even his home run in the NL Wild Card round may not be enough to change the broader perception. For now, the expectation from this executive is simple: Bohm’s offseason likely won’t be especially lively.
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