Realmuto and shortstop Jean Segura.Īfter leading their division in early August, the Phillies went 16-33 over the final 49 games of last season and at 80-82 finished with a losing record for the sixth straight season. Philadelphia has been among the most active teams this offseason, adding outfielder Andrew McCutchen for $50 million over three years and reliever David Robertson for $23 million over two years, and acquiring catcher J.T. Harper gets a $20 million signing bonus, a $10 million salary this year, $26 million in each of the following nine seasons and $22 million in each of the last three years. He will also be reunited in Philly with Kevin Long, the hitting coach who oversaw his ascent toward MVP candidacy in Washington.Harper’s agreement, first reported by the MLB Network, tops the previous high for a free agent, set last week when infielder Manny Machado signed a $300 million, 10-year deal with the San Diego Padres. He has been the straw that stirs the drink in some excellent lineups - the recent Dodgers and the 2019 Nationals - and looks likely to seamlessly join a new one. By securing 11 years, even at a lower annual salary, Turner is collecting something on the high end of the total millions he could have foreseen entering the offseason. Hey, baseball contracts are fully guaranteed. And if Turner slows down in five, six or seven years, the Phillies can wring their hands about it then - possibly with rings on their fingers. In this case, they have reeled in one of the winter’s most appealing players for a $27.27 million annual salary that trails other recent contracts, including Corey Seager’s, Manny Machado’s and Anthony Rendon’s. And it’s being run by an executive and a team owner in John Middleton who are unafraid to pay top dollar for top talent. This is a team that just clawed its way to a pennant and will need to continue upping the ante to keep up with the Mets and Braves. The signing also likely means Bryson Stott, a rookie shortstop who improved as the 2022 season went on, will likely move over to second base. Turner reshapes that immediately, giving the Phillies a more well-rounded attack. This deal will keep him in Philadelphia until he’s 40, and his skills don’t immediately present as the kind that will age gracefully.īut Dombrowski, ever aggressive in his pursuit of elite stars, had a hole in the middle infield and a roster perhaps overly reliant on lumbering power hitters. The elephant in the room is what Turner, a speed-based player, will look like in his mid-30s and beyond. For at least the next three or four seasons, it’s going to be ferocious. Realmuto? That whooshing sound you hear is everyone in the NL East vigorously shaking their heads. Would you want to face a lineup coming at you with some combination of Turner, Bryce Harper and J.T. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis) Analyzing the Phillies' long-term pact with Turner Trea Turner is reportedly heading to the Philadelphia Phillies on an 11-year deal, becoming the first shortstop in a loaded free-agent class to choose a team. Turner's contract will inspire comparisons to Seager’s 10-year, $325 million deal with the Rangers from last offseason and the deals to be reached by Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson this winter. Serviceable but less sure-handed at shortstop than some of his rivals, he might be asked to move to second base (or possibly center field) in the near future. He could face a steeper decline when he begins to lose a step and his many doubles and triples shrink into singles and doubles. The biggest qualm about Turner is how his speed-based production will age. He played all 162 games in 2018 and has missed a total of 16 games the past three seasons. Turner has largely put injury woes early in his career behind him. Thanks to excellent bat control - and again, the speed - Turner routinely runs one of baseball’s best BABIPs, making it difficult to keep him off the bases. 328 average and has twice led the National League in hits. He has 61 homers and 71 steals in that span, making him one of only three players with at least 50 of both, alongside José Ramírez and Ronald Acuña Jr. Since 2020, he leads all major-league shortstops in FanGraphs WAR. Turner reached free agency as one of the winter’s quartet of potential franchise shortstops, and there’s a strong case to be made that he’s the best of them. His all-around abilities gained more recognition after a 2021 trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers, as he seamlessly joined and then replaced Corey Seager. Turner, who will turn 30 in June, won the 2019 World Series with the Washington Nationals and cemented himself as a superstar with a power uptick that began in 2020.
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