All-Star third baseman who just went on the trade block is an ideal Blue Jays target

As the Major League Baseball offseason slowly gets going and Toronto Blue Jays fans eagerly await the front office's first moves toward creating a competitive team in 2025, there are plenty of free agent rumors floating around. Now that the GM Meetings are in the rearview mirror, we're also starting to get a sense of some of the players who are available via trade this winter.

On Tuesday, ESPN's Jeff Passan unveiled his big offseason preview and with it came some news about a third baseman who would be an ideal Blue Jays trade target.

Blue Jays should be targeting All-Star third baseman Alec Bohm who just went on the trade block

According to Passan, the Philadelphia Phillies' Alec Bohm is on the trade block. Making a trade for a relatively young but established player like Bohm would be a smart move for general manager Ross Atkins.

After debuting in 2020, the 28-year-old Bohm is coming off his best year in Philadelphia. The former first-round pick hit .280 with a .779 OPS, compiling a 115 wRC+ and 3.5 fWAR as the Phillies' everyday third baseman. Not known as a home run hitter, he hit 15 long balls and laced 44 doubles, driving in 97 runs en route to being named to his first All-Star team as the National League's starting third baseman.

His season-long numbers were good but might have been even better had he not suffered a late-season hand strain that sabotaged his final month. He struggled through 12 games in September but still led all qualified third basemen in batting average and doubles for the season.

With an impressive 14.2 percent strikeout rate, Bohm would fit nicely in a Toronto lineup as a reliable middle-of-the-order hitter with consistent gap-to-gap power. He also improved immensely in the field in 2024, which should help to assuage any concerns the Jays front office has about defensive drop-off — he posted four outs above average in 2024.

With the Blue Jays looking for more offense this offseason, adding Bohm at third would be a cost-effective option — much more affordable than signing a free agent like Alex Bregman. Bohm's under team control for two more years before he becomes a free agent after the 2026 season. MLB Trade Rumors projects that he could make $8.1M in arbitration this winter.

The Blue Jays have plenty of pieces that should be available, from intriguing third baseman Addison Barger to top prospect Orelvis Martinez. Including one of their top young hitters in a package might help a deal get done.

Whatever the final cost becomes for the Phillies to part with Bohm, Atkins and the Blue Jays should be checking in to see what the initial asking price is. Swinging a trade will only help upgrade third base, at least for a couple of seasons.