The Philadelphia Phillies were a couple of wins away from shocking the MLB world by claiming their first World Series crown since 2008. The Phillies barely squeaked through the postseason, but their players took a giant leap in the offseason, which was the crucial difference between them and their opponents. Revelations like Kyle Schwarber, Seranthony Dominguez, and Zach Eflin were phenomenal during their run, which was an additional presence to their key cogs, such as Bryce Harper and JT Realmuto.
Even with the fantastic performance, the front decided not to rest on their laurels as they added former Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Trea Turner, starting pitcher Taijuan Walker, and relief pitchers Craig Kimbrel and Matthew Strahm. The Turner addition fills the void of their weakness at SS last year, and it also reduces the talent of one of arguably the deepest team in the National League the Los Angles Dodgers.
The Trea Turner move was a massive one, but it also entails a ton of risk because of the length and structure of the contract.
Trea Turner’s 11-year contract
The athleticism, speed, and baseball prowess of Trea Turner are unquestioned. He has been a versatile player who swings the bat and fields the ball at a tremendous level. The Washington Nationals may have made the mistake of giving up on him too early in his early career, but the Dodgers pounced on it as he was able to suit up for 212 games in Los Angeles.
The Dodgers decided not to match or exceed the offer of the Phillies for Turner, which may be the right move, especially if they are opening up their payroll to sign Shohei Ohtani when he enters free agency. For the Phillies, there is nothing risky or wrong about signing Trea Turner in general, but it is the expectation of him playing shortstop when he is 38, 39, and 40 years old.
Turner’s contract runs until 2033 in which he will already be 40 years old. The evolution of his game must be a priority sometime soon because he relies a ton on his youth and gifted talent. As one of the best leadoff hitters in the game today, he must continue being an all-around threat as both a contact and power hitter. The Phillies lacked the table setter necessary for any World Series contending squad as manager Rob Thomson decided to start with Kyle Schwarber in the postseason.
Schwarber is more of a power hitter, so he can slide into second, or he could hit after Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins. It is on the defensive side of the field where the risk and concern will start to mount for Trea Turner. He is known to complete a ton of eye-popping plays deep in the whole as he produced a fantastic fielding completion of .969 last season. Turner committed only 16 errors in the 2022 season, and he turned in an excellent number of 54 double plays.
The 2022 campaign of Trea Turner was arguably his second-best one in terms of fielding, behind his 2018 tenure with the Washington Nationals. As he enters the peak of his career, Turner may need to adjust to playing in another position where he can flourish at the latter juncture of his career.
The Phillies would not want a similar case to the trio of Albert Pujols, Justin Upton, and Josh Hamilton with the Los Angeles Angels. For some that were not aware, the Angels invested in these stars to surround generational talent Mike Trout, but it turned out to be a disaster because of the enormous money they committed to them.
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