The Phillies’ infield is headed for another reshuffle, and one possible answer would mean sending Bryson Stott to Texas.
Philadelphia already pushed the group into motion once by landing Luis Arraez, a move that moved Bryce Harper to the outfield, shifted Alec Bohm to third base and bumped Stott from second to third. Now Bohm and Arraez are both set to hit free agency, and Dave Dombrowski is staring at another reset.
The easiest piece of the puzzle seems to be Harper sliding back to first base. That would free up room in the outfield for a better bat, with Seiya Suzuki and even Teruaki Sato mentioned as possible targets.
Third base is the problem spot, and the free-agent market there doesn’t offer much comfort. Bohm is one of the best names available, but the question is whether his strong October stretch is enough to erase the signs of decline that showed up before it. Philadelphia can’t really afford another season with a sub-.700 OPS and shaky defense at the position, and betting on Bohm to rebound would burn a chance to make a real upgrade.
The broader issue is balance. The Phillies need more right-handed production, and their biggest run-makers - Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper - bat left-handed.
Against southpaws, the club hit .241 as a team, which ranked 15th. Their .705 OPS against lefties ranked 16th.
That’s not disastrous, but it’s not the kind of edge a World Series contender wants to settle for.
So the trade market starts to make sense, and Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung stands out as one possible fit. The 28-year-old right-hander hit .299/.365/.462 with 12 homers in 104 games in 2026.
He wouldn’t come cheaply, though. A deal would likely require Stott and a mid-tier prospect.
From the Rangers’ side, the appeal is obvious enough. Texas wants to stay in the hunt in a crowded AL West, but president of baseball operations Chris Young has also said the club wants to get"younger, more athletic, and more dynamic."
With top prospect Sebastian Walcott - No. 8 on MLB Pipeline’s top 100 - waiting in the wings, Jung becomes movable. Stott could fill the second-base opening in Texas while also giving the Rangers more athleticism.
For Philadelphia, that kind of swap would do more than just patch a hole. It would upgrade Bohm’s spot at third, save money in arbitration and add a year of team control in the process. Jung would also give the Phillies their best right-handed bat, and his .366/.448/.545 line against lefties in 2026 would bring exactly the kind of lineup balance they’ve been missing.
Jungster gets us started! #AllForTX pic.twitter.com/JaEQ0K15Z2
- Texas Rangers (@Rangers) September 19, 2026
Of course, moving Stott for Jung only creates a new vacancy at second base. That’s where Arraez comes back into the picture.
His first run in Philadelphia wasn’t exactly what anyone expected. The three-time batting champ hit .278 with the Phillies and later suffered a late-season ankle sprain that knocked him out of the playoff roster. Even so, the sample was small enough that the Phillies probably shouldn’t give up on him yet, especially with his history of elite contact skills.
If Philadelphia can pull off both moves, the infield gets a lot more dangerous. Jung and Arraez would add two contact-driven bats to complement the power already in the lineup from Harper and Schwarber.
There’s still a cost. Losing Stott’s defense and baserunning would sting.
But if the payoff is a deeper, more balanced offense, Dombrowski has to at least weigh it hard. The Phillies have seen enough feast-or-famine offense go sideways in the postseason since 2024 to know that formula only goes so far.
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