Alec Bohm has one obvious fit on paper for the Mariners: right-handed bat, third base, problem solved. But the more you look at it, the less sense it makes for either side.
Seattle enters the offseason needing help in both spots, and Bohm’s name naturally surfaces because he checks both boxes. That connection isn’t new, either.
His name had already been tied to the Mariners in rumors a couple of offseasons ago, including from Adam Jude of The Seattle Times. Back then, the Phillies reportedly wanted Logan Gilbert or George Kirby in a deal, which was never happening.
Now Bohm is on the market, though a return to the Phillies still can’t be ruled out.
The temptation comes from the fact that Bohm did have a strong stretch not long ago. In December of 2024, he was coming off the best season of his Major League career, had made his first All-Star team, and finished with a career-best 3.3 fWAR.
Even then, though, the warning signs were there. His second half slipped badly, and he was benched at points during the playoffs.
That uneven profile is really the issue. Bohm can still flash the ability that made him the No. 3 overall pick in 2018, but the consistency just hasn’t matched the billing.
Yes, he hit over .300 with a .807 OPS and 122 wRC+ over the final two months of the 2026 regular season. But over the full year he hit .249 in a career-high 155 games, posted a sub-.700 OPS, finished with a 90 wRC+, and turned in just 0.2 fWAR.
The glove is an even bigger problem for Seattle. Bohm is a poor third baseman, and the Mariners already have enough to worry about without adding more shaky defense. He ranked in the fourth percentile for Fielding Run Value, and at this point his range is so limited he might as well be carrying a cartoon-esque hole in his glove.
Bohm’s side of the equation is messy, too. Given his age and his uneven 2026 season, he looks like a player who would want a short-term deal to rebuild value.
Seattle is probably the last place he’d want that kind of bet to land, because T-Mobile Park is brutal on right-handed hitters. The park ranked last in the majors for righties, with a park factor of 91.
Citizens Bank Park, for comparison, sits at 100.
And if the Mariners did decide they wanted him, they’d likely have to pay up to get him to come. That would only raise the stakes on a move that already carries plenty of risk.
So while Bohm fits the Mariners’ checklist in theory, the cleaner answer is for both sides to move on and find help somewhere else.
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