The Philadelphia Phillies can address their need for bullpen support and their desire to trade All-Star third baseman Alec Bohm in one full swoop. The Phillies could benefit greatly from acquiring Detroit Tigers star reliever Sean Gunther in exchange for Bohm.
What’s in it for the Phillies to trade Alec Bohm for Sean Guenther?
The Phillies’ bullpen secured the sixth-fewest saves in 2024 with 37. They blew two saves in the playoffs. Both factored into their premature exit from the 2024 MLB playoffs after finishing 95-67 as the No. 2 overall seed in the National League.
Guenther could remedy that. He went 3-0 with an otherworldly 0.86 ERA, 0.524 WHIP, and 12 strikeouts in 21 innings pitched last season. Guenther held batters to a .077/.143/.077 slash line in save situations. That was starkly better than the .143/.186/.214 slash line that came in non-save situations. Thus, there’s reason to believe that the star reliever can give the Phillies a boost as their full-on closer, or out of a potential eighth-inning slot that saw him sport an SO/W of six for the Tigers last time around.
Would the Tigers be enticed to give up Guenther for Phillies’ Bohm?
On the other side of the token, Bohm could help Detroit drive in more runs in 2025 if the Tigers were to ponder a trade of this magnitude by asking themselves, what’s in it for us?
Bohm finished No. 19 in the MLB with 97 RBIs in 2024 at cleanup and fifth in the Phillies order. The Tigers were actually an effective team with runners in scoring position last season, posting the tenth-best batting average (.261 BA) in such situations. However, Detroit could up their 15th-best tally of 488 RBIs in RISP situations while inheriting an uber-efficient slugger whose .288 xBA ranked in the 95th percentile in the Majors and his 14.2 percent strikeout rate ranked in the 92nd percentile, taking into account his second-half slump at that.
- Phillies not expected to make any more high-profile signings
- Phillies take a flier on minor league reliever
- Phillies hand out $10 million deal to address outfield needs
Does the money match up?
Monetarily, Bohm is projected to make $8.1 million in 2025. He is under contract with Philadelphia until 2026. Conversely, seeing that Guenther just got picked up by Detroit from Triple-A on August 1, the $800,000 Spotrac forecasted him to garner next season would necessitate some ancillary pieces to be included to make the finances work.
All in all, the Phillies’ bullpen is one of their weakest points at the moment. They’ll be set at the plate behind stars Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Trea Turner while Zack Wheeler and their star-studded cast of starters have the mound locked down. If the Phillies move Bohm this offseason, a reliever may be most expedient for them to acquire. Guenther could be just their guy.
