This past offseason, the Philadelphia Phillies were one of the teams mentioned as a potential suitor for free agent third baseman Alex Bregman.
The two-time World Series champion was fielding offers from other teams around the league, deciding whether or not he wanted to leave the Houston Astros, the only franchise he had known to that point.
The Phillies ended up pulling out of the race pretty early on, in large part because they didn’t have the money to spend at the time.
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Trade negotiations were held involving their third baseman Alec Bohm and right fielder Nick Castellanos, but nothing came to fruition.
Bregman ended up signing a unique contract with the Boston Red Sox.
It is a three-year, $140 million deal, but he has opt outs after each season. Half of the $120 million is deferred money that will be paid out from 2035-2046.
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There are a lot of hurdles to jump through when it comes to figuring out his value based on the contract and the fact he could just be a rental.
Taking all of that into consideration, what could a deal between Philadelphia and the Red Sox look like?
Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report has pitched a hypothetical that involves a lot of money moving around and one top prospect.
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Bregman would head to the City of Brotherly Love in exchange for pitcher Taijuan Walker, Bohm and pitcher Mick Abel.
That could be a tough sell for the Phillies, moving on from such a young starting pitcher in Abel, who has shown some positive signs this year in his MLB debut, especially when taking into consideration that Bregman could be a rental.
But this could also be a way to shed some long-term money owed to Walker, giving Philadelphia a chance to reallocate the cash more effectively.
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It could be used to retain Bregman on a long-term deal or address other needs that may pop up on the roster with designated hitter Kyle Schwarber and catcher J.T. Realmuto both set to hit free agency after the year.
The two-time All-Star and 2024 Gold Glove Award winner is a sizable upgrade both offensively and defensively over Bohm and fits their current timeline.
With their championship window looking to be slowly closing on the current core, going all-in on a short-term upgrade such as Bregman makes a lot of sense for the Phillies.
For more Phillies news, head over to Phillies On SI.
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