The Philadelphia Phillies are off to a solid start this year after winning 95 games in 2024 and running away with the National League East. At 13-10, they sit in second place, just three games back of the New York Mets.
However, that doesn't mean that there aren't ways for them to improve. In fact, they haven't gotten a lot of production out of third baseman Alec Bohm, who was at the center of trade rumors last offseason.
Should the Phillies be in the race at the trade deadline, third base is an area they could upgrade.
David Schoenfield of ESPN proposed the idea of Philadelphia trying for St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado.
"Alec Bohm is struggling with the Phillies, the Cubs demoted Matt Shaw, the Blue Jays aren't getting any production at third, the Yankees have only one home run from their third basemen ... it's a long list. If the Cardinals pay down some of the contract, they could probably find Arenado a new home.
Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
The Cardinals tried all offseason long to find a suitor for Arenado, but their chances of trading him before the season ended when Alex Bregman joined the Boston Red Sox.
However, the Phillies could be a logical landing spot. Arenado wanted a team with "the throttle-down", according to his agent, Joel Wolfe.
Philadelphia is a team that can be considered a legitimate championship contender, and if they were to add Arenado to their mix, they could significantly upgrade their lineup.
The eight-time All-Star is slashing .288/.395/.452 with two home runs, 10 RBI and an .847 OPS to start the year, and is looking much more like his old self.
The Phillies would be wise to capitalize on that if he's still performing well at the deadline. We'll see what they decide to do in the next few months.
More MLB: Phillies' Rob Thomson has one-word response to concerning Aaron Nola trend