Orioles should take notice as NL East champs consider surprise winter sell off

Earlier this week, Phillies GM Dave Dombrowski was quoted about the team's approach to the offseason. While owner John Middleton expressed disappointment in the team's postseason performance, he did mention that he expected the Phillies to make improvements prior to Opening Day next year.

While that sounds well and good, Dombrowski has already made comments about the unlikelihood of the Phillies pursuing Juan Soto, and his more recent comments about players on the roster that could be traded away, it makes you wonder how those two approaches will meld together.

In addition to being on the fence about Soto, Dombrowski alluded to the fact that if teams wanted to inquire about players like Nick Castellanos, Brandon Marsh, or Alec Bohm, the Phillies would be happy to listen.

Trading Castellanos makes a bit of sense. The outfielder is due $20 million per year over the next two seasons, and he has started to look a bit cooked at the plate. He hit just .254/.311/.431 with atrocious defense in 2024 and at 32 years old, things aren't looking bright for his future.

Could the Orioles and Phillies become trade partners again this winter?

However, both Marsh and Bohm would be valuable assets for a contending team. Bohm fell off a bit in the second half but hit a career best .280/.332/.448 with 15 homers and strong infield defense. Marsh strikes out a bit more than you'd like but has good speed on the basepaths and is a strong defensive outfielder.

The Orioles have question marks at both of those positions. As of now, the O's have Heston Kjerstad as the likely candidate to take over for Anthony Santander in right field. However, Kjerstad functioned as a platoon bat in 2024 and it's unclear if Mike Elias and manager Brandon Hyde want to shift him into an everyday role.

Likewise, Bohm can play both first and third base and with the uncertainty surrounding Ryan Mountcastle's future in Baltimore and Jackson Holliday's inability to hold onto the starting job based on performance in 2024, it's possible that the O's could be searching for a backup plan in the infield.

Marsh isn't a perfect fit, given that he also bats left-handed. But Bohm is a righty and someone who could slot into the 5 or 6 slot in the Orioles lineup each night. He's estimated to get around $8 million in arbitration this year, and has one more arbitration year left before hitting free agency in 2027.

While Bohm would likely be a bit expensive to acquire, it wouldn't be a bad idea for Elias to kick the tires and see what Dombrowski's price would be. The Orioles and Phillies have partnered on trades in the past and seem to work well together. There's certainly a trade out there that would work for both sides. It'll be interesting to see if the O's pursue something like this during the offseason.