Phillies rumor round-up: Bohm, Crochet, Soto and more originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The first big free-agent name came off the board Tuesday night as Blake Snell agreed to a five-year, $182 million contract with the Dodgers that includes deferrals in the $60 million range, according to multiple reports.
Snell was viewed as one of the top free agents in this year’s class, along with outfielder Juan Soto, infielders Alex Bregman and Willy Adames and pitchers Corbin Burnes and Max Fried.
The Phillies have shown interest in Soto, even if they don’t expect to be the favorites in a competitive race. Soto has already reportedly met with five teams — the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, Red Sox and Blue Jays.
It might cost $600 million. It might cost more. The Yankees are desperate to keep Soto and should be after watching his transformational ability up close for a year. They also want to avoid the double dose of humiliation of losing him to the Mets. The Mets, meanwhile, have baseball’s richest owner and a clear desire to keep spending.
It’s just hard to see any team trumping an offer made by the New York teams.
What else is going on in Phillies land less than two weeks out from the Winter Meetings?
Bohm rumors
Alec Bohm’s name has been on the rumor mill since the week after the Phillies’ season ended. He didn’t hit down the stretch and was benched in Game 2 of the NLDS, a response to his poor play and more on-field sulking than they would have liked to see.
The free-agent market does not offer many ideal positional fits for the Phillies because after Soto, the best available outfielders are more complementary pieces or players like Anthony Santander, whose value may be inflated by a career year he may not be able to replicate.
That’s why you’ve heard so much already this offseason about the Phillies needing to explore trades. Improving might not — and probably will not — be a matter of making two or three decent-sized signings. It will likely include trading away a mainstay to gain value in another area.
Bohm, at 28 years old with two more years of arbitration eligibility before reaching free agency, has appeal. He’s coming off a season in which he hit .280 with 44 doubles, 15 home runs and 97 RBI, barely missing 100 two years in a row. He started at third base for the National League in the 2024 All-Star Game, which will surely be mentioned high in the press release of an acquiring team if he’s traded. He has an attractive offensive skill set with a…