Alec Bohm, the Philadelphia Phillies’ corner infielder, opened 2026 hitting .159 through 35 games, then drove in 88 runs by season’s end. Heading into free agency, evaluators must decide which version of him deserves a contract. The qualifying offer in question has raised some discussion.
Todd Zolecki, host of The Phillies Show podcast, gave his thoughts on the same.
“$23 million for one year,” Todd Zolecki, host of The Phillies Show podcast, said while discussing a qualifying offer on the show. “I mean, a lot of it depends on what their budget is going to look like, but I think I’d consider it because I don’t think he’ll take it, but he might. There really isn’t a bad one-year deal out there, is there? Is there a bad one-year deal? I don’t know if you’re talking about $40 million, yeah.”
The problem with a year-long tag is that it limits long-term risk, but at what cost?
The asking price of $23.15 million easily more than doubles the amount of money Bohm ($10.2 million) made from the contract he agreed to sign on January 8 to avoid arbitration, and his .249/.315/.383 slash and 0.2 fWAR make that jump tough to defend.
“Absolutely, to be honest with you, I have no idea what to expect, but I would love to be back if they would have me back,” said Bohm when asked about returning in 2027 after the Phillies’ elimination from the National League Wild Card Series by the Atlanta Braves.
Bohm’s enthusiasm is justified as his bat ended on a high note.
After hitting .159/.227/.206 over the first 35 games, Bohm slashed .304 over his final 62 games and batted .333 against the Braves, highlighted by a go-ahead homer in Game 2.
The Phillies’ season makes the situation more compelling.
The team fired manager Rob Thomson on April 28 following a poor 9-19 start, but interim manager Don Mattingly led them to a 79-55 finish and an overall 88-74 record that included a fifth straight playoff appearance.
Bohm’s platoon role ensures some value for him. Bohm batted .292/.333/.483 versus left-handed pitchers in 2026 and owns a career slash of .302/.351/.503 against lefties, putting him in select company among five players since 2020 hitting at .300 and .500 against left-handers over 1,000 plate appearances.
The defense is still a concern, though.
In 2026, Bohm accumulated minus 10 defensive runs saved and minus 8 outs above average as a third baseman, bringing his career total to minus 16 fielding runs in 5,913 innings at third base.
The power is another factor limiting him. He has not hit more than 20 home runs in any season, but his walk rate of 7.6 percent and strikeout rate of 14 percent were career lows in 2026, as he had a weighted on-base average (xwOBA) of .327.
Yet, the contract structure can also shape his market.
Without an attached qualifying offer, teams that sign him do not give up any draft pick compensation, and his skill at both first and third base makes him a simple fit for enhancing lineup depth.
The team could make a reunion work within defined roles. Bohm would play third base until the team prepares prospect Murf Gray to come up, then shift to first base and designated hitter along with Ryan O’Hearn and Spencer Horwitz.
Bohm, 30, has a .273 career average with 85 home runs and 483 RBIs in seven seasons since being drafted third overall in 2018 out of Wichita State, so the club is weighing proven production against a clear dip.