Philadelphia Phillies, shortstop Trea Turner reach 11-year, $300M deal: ESPN source
Turner spent the past year-plus with the Los Angeles Dodgers after being acquired in a mid-season trade with the Nationals.
PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Phillies, reigning National League champions, have agreed to terms on a massive contract with star free agent shortstop Trea Turner, a source told ESPN's Jeff Passan on Monday, the first full day of Major League Baseball's winter meetings. Turner, a CAA client, attained an 11-year, $300 million contract, a source told ESPN's Kiley McDaniel.
The Phillies were long rumored to be a prime suitor for Turner, at least in part because of Bryce Harper's relationship with him dating back to their days together on the Washington Nationals. An opening was created early in the offseason, when the Phillies declined their $17 million option on second baseman Jean Segura.
With Turner on board, Bryson Stott, who showed a lot of promise as a rookie, will probably shift from shortstop to second base. Turner would slide atop a lineup headlined by Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos and Rhys Hoskins, making them an even bigger force in the NL East and guaranteeing that they'll exceed the luxury-tax threshold for a second consecutive year. Harper, however, recently underwent Tommy John surgery and might not return until the All-Star break.
Turner, 29, boasts one of the most prodigious speed-power combinations in the sport, having accumulated 99 home runs and 149 stolen bases from 2018 to 2022. A two-time All-Star, Turner batted .298/.343/.466 with 21 home runs, 100 RBIs and 27 stolen bases with the Dodgers this past season. Outs Above Average had him as an average defensive shortstop.
The fifth-fastest player in the league last season, according to Statcast, Turner is coming off his third career season with 100 or more runs scored.
Turner finished the season hitting safely in 132 of 160 games, setting a Dodgers franchise record for games with at least one hit, surpassing Tommy Davis (129 in 1962). Turner also recorded the longest hitting streak in the majors last season, hitting for 26 straight games from May 9 through June 3. He followed that up with a 20-game hit streak that spanned from July 9 through Aug. 2, becoming just the fourth player in the past 40 years to record multiple 20-game hit streaks in a season and the first since Ichiro Suzuki in his 2001 MVP season.
Turner's signing leaves Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson as the available shortstops in a historically star-studded free agent crop. The Dodgers could simply replace Turner in-house by shifting Gavin Lux to shortstop, but they're always in the market for shorter-term contracts if the market falls on prominent free agents.
Turner becomes the fourth shortstop to ever sign a $300 million contract, joining Fernando Tatis Jr. (Padres), Corey Seager (Rangers) and Francisco Lindor (Mets). Overall, it is the 10th $300 million deal in MLB history.
The Phillies join the Padres in being the only teams to have given out multiple $300 million contracts.
