The price just went up on possible Yankees third base trade target before Opening Day

The mounting roster issues for the New York Yankees will not be ending anytime soon, but the good news is that they have enough talent to still be considered a legitimate contender. Regardless of what rival fans say, this team was still very good (though frustrating) last year when they were without Gerrit Cole and Giancarlo Stanton.

But in order to improve their World Series chances, the Yankees must make supplemental additions early and shrewdly. They are not "replacing" Cole or Stanton, but they can upgrade in certain areas to further distance themselves from (or match) the competition.

Third base was (and still is) an area that needs to be addressed. Heading into spring training, the Yankees were serious about DJ LeMahieu potentially opening the season there — which was questionable enough — but he injured his calf in his second at-bat and it's unclear when he'll return.

The battle is now between Oswaldo Cabrera and Oswald Peraza, and it feels like the Yankees will be platooning based on how the roster conversation seems to be shaking out. Cabrera and Peraza are great bench pieces, but they are not 150+ game starters right now.

That's why fans (and some insiders) were speculating about New York targeting Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm in a trade this offseason. The Phils reportedly made him available but never pulled the trigger on a deal.

Yankees Rumors: Is Alec Bohm trade possibility with Phillies losing steam?

And it appears as if the Phillies have made the right decision. Bohm is hitting .345 with 10 runs scored, 3 home runs, 5 RBI and a 1.153 OPS in 10 games this spring. Pretty good way for him to follow up his career-best offensive season in 2024.

Though he made 14 errors in 128 games last season, Bohm also logged time at first base and finished as an above-average defender. He didn't pass the eye test with some Phillies fans, but the third base situation has been far worse both offensively and defensively over the last four years for the Yankees.

If New York was at all interested in adding Bohm after the spring training battle underwhelmed them so far, that's becoming less and less likely. For all the advanced statheads out there, Bohm has drastically improved his launch angle during this current small sample size, and it could be a sign of a 2025 power breakout the Phillies might want to take their chances on. And even if they were still thinking about trading him, they'd be asking for more in any negotiation with how he's performed the last few weeks.

This is a version of Yankees history repeating itself as the organization remains passive and/or cuts themselves off from making that "next" move. We'll keep our hopes high for Cabrera and Peraza, but Bohn is very much feeling like an unnecessarily wasted opportunity if he was available for a somewhat reasonable price earlier in the offseason.