Phillies agree to terms with Trea Turner

Dec 5, 2022 - 8:12 PM

According to Jeff Passan, the Phillies have agreed to contract terms with shortstop Trea Turner.

It looks like Turner is taking the Bryce Harper route of a longer contract with a lower average annual value:

The signing isn’t a major surprise, as the Phillies have all but stated they would be getting one of the big-name free agent shortstops this offseason. And although there was some talk about Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson, Turner was the one they were most closely connected with.

The Phillies are very familiar with Turner, as he spent most of his first seven seasons with their division rival Washington Nationals. He is a two-time All-Star with two top-10 MVP voting finishes and won the National League’s Silver Slugger Award at shortstop for the Dodgers in 2022.

Turner should be a good fit with the Phillies. Due to his excellent hitting skills (career average of .302 and the 2021 NL batting champion) and speed (two-time NL stolen base leader) he will likely bat either first or second in the Phillies’ lineup. And he is a former teammate of Bryce Harper, which is likely a major reason why he was the shortstop they signed.

An eleven-year contract is always a little worrisome, and there could be some ugly years towards the end. But the relatively low AAV should help minimize the risk. Besides, when you’ve got a team that was two wins away from a championship, you should be in win now mode. If a couple of down seasons eight years from now is the price to pay for a chance to win a title in the next couple of years, then so be it.