The Mariners are known to be looking for improvements in the infield this offseason and have explored the trade market as part of that search. Adam Jude of the Seattle Times reports that the club has had some trade discussions with the Phillies about it Alec Boehm and around with the Cubs Nico Horns.
Seattle's infield will likely be significantly different in 2025 than it will be in 2024. Ty France was transferred to the Reds last year. Justin Turner became a free agent at the end of the season. The Mariners also rejected a club option Jorge Polanco and not advertised Josh Rojas. That leaves her behind JP Crawford In short, question marks elsewhere. Youngest reporting suggested they might be happy with that Dylan Moore And Ryan Bliss Covering second base to the prospect Cole Young is finished, but even in this case the corners would need to be addressed. Luke Raley is an option at first base, but he could also be in the corner-outfield mix and would probably still need to be used since the lefty is far better against righties.
Despite the need, the M's would likely never become major players in free agency. As shown in MLBTR's contract trackerSeattle has never given a free agent position player more than the $24 million they gave Mitch Garver in the era with Jerry Dipoto running the front office. In addition, the club is Plan for a raise Compared to last year, it is likely to be rather modest. RosterResource assumes the club will already be spending pretty similar to next year as they did in 2024, so it shouldn't cause much of a stir for someone like him Alex Bregman or Willy Adames is likely.
All of these factors, as well as Dipoto's “Trader Jerry” reputation for being aggressive in the trading market, have indicated that this is the likely path forward. Therefore, the discussions about Bohm and Hoerner are fairly logical developments, although actual agreement with either is unlikely.
The Phillies are looking to reshape their roster and Bohm is one of the logical trade candidates they have. Many of their position players are veterans who are fairly entrenched either because of their key contributions, their contracts, or both. Bohm, on the other hand, is a solid but not elite player who will be controlled through the arbitration system until 2026.
Bohm is coming off a 2024 season in which he hit .280/.332/.448 for a wRC+ of 115, his best full-season offensive performance of his career. However, he did so lopsidedly, hitting .295/.348/.482 for a 128 wRC+ in the first half and .251/.299/.382 for a 90 wRC+ in the second half. He was also slightly better against lefties in his career, which lasted into 2024. He hit .287/.335/.473 with the platoon advantage for a 123 wRC+, while against righties he slashed .276/.330/.437 for a 111 wRC+.
Bohm was rather mixed on defense. Metrics like Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average have both shown him to be below average at third base in his career, but closer to league average this year. He can also play some first base, meaning he offers a bit of versatility.
Bohm is undoubtedly a useful player and would certainly suit the Mariners as they look to reduce their strikeout problems. His career strikeout rate of 17.9% is a few ticks below average and has always been lower than that in the last three seasons, putting him at 14.2% in 2024.
But despite Bohm's usefulness, the Phils appear to be demanding a high price for his services. According to Jude's report, the Phillies asked for both Logan Gilbert or George Kirby in return, which is why a deal has certainly not yet been reached. Already in September, said Dipoto that dealing with the rotation was “Plan Z” for this winter. And even if Seattle tried to move a starter, Bohm wouldn't be a good match for Gilbert or Kirby in terms of trade value.
Bohm has two years of arbitration remaining and is expected to be released from MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a salary of $8.1 million. Gilbert is scheduled to receive the same salary in 2025, but can be controlled for three more seasons compared to Bohm's two seasons. Gilbert was also by far the most valuable player in his career, throwing 704 1/3 innings with a 3.60 earned run average. FanGraphs projects that he was worth 12.4 wins more than his backup in his four big league seasons, while Bohm posted an fWAR of 7.7 in his five seasons. Kirby has four seasons left in control of the club and is set to receive a modest salary of $5.5 million next year. Additionally, he has already posted 11.4 fWAR in just three seasons, throwing over 500 innings with a 3.43 ERA.
Perhaps Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski was just staking out an extreme position early in the discussions and will close the gap later in the offseason, but if this is any indication of how the Phillies truly view Bohm's value, it could be difficult to make a statement and close a deal.
Hoerner also makes sense for the Cubs as a trade candidate for several reasons. This club has a crowded mix of position players, but many of them are difficult to trade. Dansby Swanson, Seiya Suzuki And Ian Happ have full no-trade clauses. Cody Bellinger's exit will make it difficult to join another club due to the possible disadvantages for the taking over team. Michael Busch And Pete Crow Armstrong have just made progress in 2024 and are still affordable and controllable. Isaac Paredes was acquired from the Rays just a few months ago and his trade value has likely gone down a bit since he struggled after that trade.
Hoerner, on the other hand, could be more useful for another club. He came into the game at shortstop, but was moved to second base out of consideration for Swanson. Defensive backs have liked his work at keystone, but another team might consider him a viable shortstop if given the chance. Offensively, he was just a little above average in his career, hitting .278/.338/.381 for a 102 wRC+. He has also stolen at least 20 bases in each of the last three years. He will make $11.5 million in 2025 and $12 million in 2026 as part of the extension he signed last year.
Going into the winter, there was an argument for the Cubs to trade Hoerner for pitching, thereby opening up second base for a prospect like Matt Shaw or James Triantos. However, Hoerner underwent flexor tendon surgery in October, which somewhat complicates the possibility of a collaboration coming about. His recovery timeline is still uncertain, which will make it difficult for the Cubs or any other club to make an assessment.
His primary second base position is also imperfect, as the M's seem to prefer adding at the corners. Hoerner does have some experience at third base, but only 41 1/3 innings in the majors. He takes a contact-based approach with a career strikeout rate of just 12%, which fits well with Seattle's plans to improve in that department.
According to Jude, the Cubs are looking for “proven major league talent,” but the Mariners seem more interested in doing business with their farm system. Jude notes that the club has eight interested parties Baseball America's Top 100 list (Colt Emerson, Lazaro MontesYoung, Jonny Farmelo, Harry Ford, Logan Evans, Michael Arroyo, Felnin Celesten) and could use this talent pool to improve the Major League roster. Given the club's aforementioned budget constraints, penchant for fluctuating deals, and stated desire to maintain big league rotation, a move from this group seems more likely than giving up someone like Gilbert or Kirby.
Even though they won't be big players in free agency, Jude added that the club remains in touch with Turner and an old friend Carlos Santanawhich is a connection made in previous reports. Turner is now 40 years old and Santana turns 39 in April, so both are limited to one-year deals with relatively modest salaries.