Latest Phillies trade rumor should become top priority for Pirates

The offseason rumor mill is starting to heat up, especially after Jeff Passan released some insider buzz circulating the league. Many players are reportedly on the trade block, and this is where the Pittsburgh Pirates should explore a new first baseman.

One of the players mentioned is Phillies corner infielder, Alec Bohm, who just made his first All-Star Game. Although he may seem like an expensive addition, Philadelphia is exploring the possibility of moving on from him, which could create a premioer opportunity for the Pirates to address one of their biggest offseason needs.

Pirates Rumors: Phillies' Alec Bohm should be offseason trade target

Bohm is a primary third baseman, but with the Pirates, he would be the everyday starter at first base. In 2023, he played over 500 innings at first and wasn't exactly great, logging -2 defensive runs saved and -6 outs above average. In 2024, he played just 100 over innings there and had the same DRS, but his OAA jumped all the way up to two.

His defense at third base was very good in 2024, but he won't play there with Ke'Bryan Hayes still around. With the injury history of Hayes, having a third baseman like Bohm available on the team is great for depth, but his general role would be at first base with how the roster is constructed.

At the plate, Bohm brings a lot of value. He has some decent home run power, but his game is going gap-to-gap with a lot of doubles, including 44 last year. In 2024, Bohm had a batting average of .280 with 15 home runs and 97 RBI. His OPS was solid at .779, along with a wRC+ of 115 and a low 14.2% strikeout rate.

On top of that, his batting run value was ranked in the 87th percentile at 20. He squares up balls at a 32.8% rate, which was in the 95th percentile, and his hard-hit rate of 45.6% that was in the 76th percentile.

It's likely that Bohm would cost multiple top-15 prospects, but the Pirates have tradable assets that could get it done and it would greatly improve the team. Bohm would quickly fill a massive hole at first base — the type of acquisition that doesn't come around that often for Pittsburgh.