The Philadelphia Phillies had the door shut on their Alec Bohm sale to the Oakland Athletics this offseason.
Phillies’ response to Athletics’ Alec Bohm interest denied
According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the Athletics hung up the proverbial phone on the Phillies once they requested Oakland’s All-Star closer in return for their All-Star third baseman. Sportsnaut’s Matt Johnson relayed the report from Rosenthal on Sunday, saying:
“According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Oakland Athletics reached out to the Phillies regarding a trade for Bohm. The A’s are in the market for a third baseman with multiple years of contract control, which Brohm provides. However, Oakland ended trade talks immediately when Philadelphia insisted on receiving All-Star closer Mason Miller,” Johnson wrote.
The Phillies stood no chance of acquiring Athletics’ Mason Miller
Philadelphia has a need for a top-shelf bullpen talent. Their All-Star leadup man Jeff Hoffman and closer Carlos Estevez both became free agents this fall. Losing both would put the Phillies in great need of an eighth and ninth-inning deliverer that Miller could be for them.
The 26-year-old righty was named an All-Star and All-MLB Second Team honoree in his 2024 rookie campaign after securing 28 saves on a clean 2.49 ERA, blistering 0.877 WHIP, and 104 strikeouts. He’s a great late-game option that the Phillies would have ideally been able to put into their ninth-inning slot for next season.
Bohm is an attractive sell despite the rejected Miller return
Albeit, the Athletics did not want to relinquish that level of impact on their hopeful winning efforts for a talent in Bohm who was also a first-time All-Star last season behind an efficient .280/.332/.448 slash line and 97 RBIs, but tapered off considerably in the second half of the campaign.
The rising star infielder still projects to establish himself as a premier performer out of the hot corner as he progresses in his prime, but Oakland stood pat with their promising closer. Philadelphia will now have to look elsewhere for bullpen support and another suitor to take the Nebraska native off their hands if their desire to retain him flips again, with the winter portion of the offseason right around the corner.
