This potential Alec Bohm replacement would be a huge mistake for the Phillies
Nolan Arenado has produced some great seasons in his career — but the Phillies shouldn’t bite.
It seems like Alec Bohm’s days in a Phillies uniform are numbered. The 28 year-old third baseman posted his best season as a pro in 2024 — including 97 RBIs and an OPS of .779 — but all the reporting around baseball points to the Phils moving on from Bohm and finding a replacement at third base.
There are plenty of third basemen available on the MLB free agency open market, but the top end options will command sizeable contracts. Philadelphia might be linked to some of those options down the line, but for now, there’s talk of Philly taking a chance on St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado.
According to Will Leitch of MLB.com, “He could be an ideal fit with the Phillies, particularly if, as rumored, they’re willing to trade Alec Bohm. Arenado is not even that expensive, with three years and $74 million remaining on his contract (not counting the portion the Rockies are paying).”
It’s true that Arenado could be a perfect fit in Philly — he’s a great locker room guy and has put together one of the best careers among all active third basemen. But after two down years, it looks like Arenado’s best years are behind him, and the Phils would be best served looking elsewhere.
Nolan Arenado’s career might be on the downturn
Nolan Arenado’s tenure with the Cardinals has been… strange. His first year in 2021 was very good; the Cardinals third baseman posted a 4.0 WAR season, hit 30 home runs, OPS’s over .800 and made the All-Star Game.
Good start! He followed that up with the best year of his career: a batting average of .293, an OPS of .893, an NL-best WAR of 7.7, an OPS+ of 151 and a third-place MVP finish. At this point, the big contract he got from St. Louis looked like a smart investment by the team.
Since then, it’s been a tough go for Arenado.
His batting average has stayed steady the past two years but his power numbers are dropping considerably and his value numbers have plummeted. Arenado hit just 16 home runs last season, his fewest in a full season since 2014.
One bad season in your early 30s isn’t necessarily reason to panic. Two straight down years heading into a year-34 season is definitely a reason to panic — and the Phillies shouldn’t bite on Arenado as an Alec Bohm replacement. There’s no reason to bet on a 34 year-old bouncing back from two bad years in a row.
Arenado might bounce back in 2024 — anyone might bounce back any given year. But this is not the path Philadelphia should take at third base. There’s no reason to take the risk. There are safer options out there, even if those safer options require a longer-term contract.
