The Philadelphia Phillies may have a perfect replacement for All-Star third baseman Alec Bohm this offseason.
Phillies could sign Willy Adames to replace All-Star 3B
Star 3B Willy Adames is a hot name on the open market. Many teams including the New York Mets and New York Yankees are linked to the 29-year-old talent, but their East Coast foes in Philadelphia could be the team whose jersey he dons next season.
Bleacher Report’s Zachary D. Rymer named Philadelphia as an ideal landing spot for Adames and had this to say about why he could thrive playing third base for them (h/t Nick Ziegler of Philadelphia Phillies on SI):
“The tricky question is just how true it is that Adames is, well, a true shortstop right now. He rated as one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball in 2022 and 2023, but that changed in 2024. Most notably, his Defensive Runs Saved swung all the way from +8 in ’23 to -16 this year. Arm strength nonetheless remained among Adames’ inventory of skills, so his reported willingness to move to third base is a good call on his part. It’s all the more reason to think he can shoot for Dansby Swanson’s seven-year, $177 million deal,” Rymer wrote.
Adames could bring Phillies new strengths than Bohm’s
The Dominican talent has not played a second of his seven-year MLB career at third base. However, he has seen 10 career games at second base on top of his everyday role at shortstop. His career .967 fielding percentage and .981 fielding percentage at second indicate that he could perform similarly across the diamond.
The Phillies would upgrade at the plate with the 112 RBIs he drove in last season over Bohm’s 97. Adames is not quite as efficient as Bohm was in 2024 or comparatively for their careers in certain areas like batting average and on-base percentage, but he still gets the job done offensively with commendable power and could also give Philadelphia a bump in the stolen bases department with the 21 he racked up last time out over Bohm’s five.
Ultimately, the verdict is still out on what the Phillies will do with their standout infielder. Should he be moved, Adames is among the best options to replace him and would be worth the price point Rymer attached to his name.
