Let’s make a deal: Phillies trade ideas for Alec Bohm, Nick Castellanos, a catcher, and more

In 2007, a delegation of Phillies officials touched down at the general managers’ meetings in search of pitching.

They went home with star closer Brad Lidge.

It hardly ever works out that way. Baseball’s offseason, much like the season itself, is a test of endurance. It drags on and on, with free agents waiting out the best offer and teams methodically checking off roster needs.

And the GM meetings, held in early November, are typically the table-setter, a time for executives to plant seeds with one another for potential moves before checking back in a month at the winter meetings.

» READ MORE: Phillies offseason preview: Futures of Schwarber, Realmuto, and time for a youth movement?

Occasionally, though, a move comes together expeditiously. In 2002, the Marlins traded for Mike Hampton and Juan Pierre at the GM meetings. A year later, the Giants dealt for A.J. Pierzynski. In 2015, Craig Kimbrel (Red Sox), Aaron Hicks (Yankees), Andrelton Simmons (Angels), and Jeremy Hellickson (Phillies) were all swapped in November trades.

It feels like a good time, then, with the GM meetings set to begin Monday night in Las Vegas, to wander down a few potential paths to an offseason trade for the Phillies.

First, let’s consider the state of the payroll, which projects to wind up this year at about $312 million for luxury-tax purposes (incurring a $50 million-plus tax bill) and likely will be in the same neighborhood next year:

» READ MORE: The Phillies are eyeing an infusion of youth for 2026. Here’s how three top prospects can fit.

After 95- and 96-win seasons that produced back-to-back National League East crowns but also consecutive division-series losses in the playoffs, the Phillies are aiming to add youth to a core of thirtysomethings and a right-handed bat to the middle of a lefty-leaning lineup. And if they don’t re-sign Realmuto, they’ll need to find a new catcher, too.

Ownership has poured money into the roster, pushing the payroll to club-record heights. But even John Middleton’s unquenching desire to win must have financial limits.

“We have a very substantial big league payroll, and I don’t see that that’s going to change,” Dombrowski said last month. “John is very supportive of that. But you don’t have unlimited [resources]. … I don’t think we’re going to have a $400 million payroll. I just don’t think that’s a practicality.”

In that case, let’s dream up a few potential swaps, based on conversations with league sources and with an assist from the addictive trade-simulator tool at Baseball Trade Values:

Bohm was available last offseason, but the Phillies placed a high value on him, according to sources, after he drove in 97 runs in back-to-back seasons.

Unsurprisingly, he stayed put.

Twelve months later, the Phillies must adjust their sights. Not only is Bohm entering his walk year, but he’s coming off an injury-filled season in which he was slightly better than a league-average hitter (102 OPS-plus) and worth 1.7 wins above replacement. His salary is also projected to rise to $10.4 million in arbitration.

» READ MORE: Free-agent outlook: Where will Kyle Schwarber land? Sizing up the Phillies’ competition in the sweepstakes

But the Phillies can see Bohm’s potential replacement on the horizon, with prospect Aidan Miller likely to open the season in triple A. It’s possible, then, that Bohm could be moved in a challenge trade, such as this:

Ward, who turns 32 next month, isn’t an All-Star. But he did slug 61 homers in the last two seasons, second among all righty-hitting outfielders (Aaron Judge hit 111). The Phillies would put Ward in a corner spot, likely right field, and hope for the production they expected from Castellanos — at two-thirds the salary (projected $13.7 million).

Like Bohm, Ward has warts, chiefly a 25.5% strikeout rate over the last two years. Like Bohm, he’s eligible for free agency after next season.

But with undeniable power that Bohm never developed, Ward would represent a right-handed home-run threat in the middle of the order.

It might actually be impossible to trade Castellanos.

Start here: He just had the worst season of his career, with only 17 home runs and an 88 OPS-plus. Factor in his poor defense, and the 33-year-old right fielder was the worst player in baseball based on WAR (minus-0.6).

Now, toss in his feud with manager Rob Thomson, touched off in June by a shocking incident of insubordination in the dugout after being removed for defense, and it’s common knowledge that the Phillies don’t plan to bring Castellanos back in 2026.

Oh, and there’s this: Castellanos disclosed in September that he was playing through patellar tendinitis in his left knee since late July. He said last month that he wanted to get his knee examined; Dombrowski said only the Phillies were “following up.”

» READ MORE: Free-agent outlook: J.T. Realmuto will be 35, but he remains as valuable as ever to the Phillies

Why, then, would a team give up anything for Castellanos, even if the Phillies agree to pay his $20 million salary?

Spoiler: There’s a decent chance nobody will.

But before they release Castellanos, the Phillies figure to exhaust all options, including taking on another team’s unwanted contract. The Cardinals have a few, such as:

St. Louis tried to unload Arenado last winter, but he was reportedly willing to waive his no-trade clause for only a handful of teams. He told reporters at the end of the season that he’s more open to a move this offseason.

At 34, Arenado isn’t the elite defender that he once was. He’s also coming off his least productive full season (12 homers, 87 OPS-plus) since his rookie year. He has two years and $42 million left on his contract, though the Rockies are responsible for $5 million.

With a Castellanos-for-Arenado swap, the Cardinals would save roughly $18 million and vacate third base for top prospect JJ Wetherholt. And Castellanos might even help an outfield that ranked 28th in baseball with a .634 OPS.

In turn, the Phillies would acquire a veteran replacement for Bohm and a third-base bridge to Miller. And although he wouldn’t make an aging roster any younger, Arenado might be refreshed by a chance to win an elusive World Series.

Or maybe it’s a long shot, and the Phillies will have to cut Castellanos loose for no return.

If Realmuto returns, this exercise will be moot. Otherwise, the Phillies must find a catcher to at least split time with Marchán, who never started more than 68 games in a season in the minors.

Adley Rutschman, a presumptive franchise cornerstone in Baltimore, has come up in trade rumors because the Orioles locked up prospect Samuel Basallo to a long-term deal. But they would be selling low on Rustchman after a season in which he posted a 90 OPS-plus and with two more years of club control.

Here’s another thought:

Jeffers, 28, is among the few players the Twins didn’t trade at the deadline in July. He hit for less power this season but reached base at a .356 clip and finished with a 108 OPS-plus. He’s also entering his walk year with a noncontending team and a projected $6.6 million salary.

» READ MORE: Free-agent outlook: How the market will shape up for Ranger Suárez

But what if the Phillies could reverse-engineer the 2022 deadline trade of touted catcher Logan O’Hoppe to the Angels for Marsh? Something like this:

Escobar to the Mariners for catcher Harry Ford.

Three years ago, O’Hoppe was a top-100 prospect whose path to the majors with the Phillies was blocked by Realmuto. Ford is in a similar position now in Seattle. The 22-year-old made his major league debut in September but is stuck behind 60-homer slugger Cal Raleigh, who is signed through 2030.

Escobar, 20, has risen through the Phillies’ prospect ranks, with one rival scout comparing him to Astros infielder Isaac Paredes. He’s creeping closer to the majors, and the Mariners have several potential infield holes with Eugenio Suárez, Josh Naylor, and Jorge Polanco reaching free agency.

With his team straddling the buyer/seller fence before the trade deadline, Byron Buxton silenced questions about his future.

“I can’t be traded,” he said at the All-Star Game. “I’ve got a no-trade clause. I’m a Minnesota Twin for the rest of my life. So, that’s the best feeling in the world, knowing I get to walk into a clubhouse and it’s going to say Twins [on his jersey] for the rest of my life. I’m a Twin. It’s home.”

Two weeks later, the Twins swapped 11 players, including Jhoan Duran to the Phillies for two prospects, neither of whom was Andrew Painter, Justin Crawford, or Miller.

» READ MORE: How can Bryce Harper have an ‘elite’ season in 2026? It starts with examining his atypical 2025.

Buxton doubled down on his loyalty pledge after the deadline purge. In the midst of a brilliant 35-homer, 24-steal season, and with only three years and $45.4 million left on his contract, the righty-hitting 31-year-old center fielder told Minnesota reporters that “nothing’s changed” and “I ain’t going nowhere.”

Swell. Surely, though, teams will check back this winter.

Never mind that injuries have limited Buxton to less than 100 games in all but three of the last nine seasons. Few players better fit the Phillies’ needs — or merit a straight-up offer for one of their big three prospects:

If Buxton said yes, which team would say no?