Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski told veteran shortstop Trea Turner that he will open next season as the team’s starting shortstop, but warned that he must play well to keep it, according to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki.
Turner, 33, just finished his fourth season with the Phillies, but showed signs of aging for the first time in his long career. He hit .242 with an on-base plus slugging of .675 - both his lowest in a single season since his rookie campaign.
Turner was not productive in the postseason either, notching one hit over 13 plate appearances.
In addition to his struggles at the plate, Turner was one of the worst fielding shortstops in the majors this past season - he ranked in the bottom sixth percentile in fielding run value and bottom third percentile in fielding range, both per BaseballSavant.
Per The Athletic’s Matt Gelb, Dombrowski discussed position changes with Turner, but the veteran prefers to stay in the infield. Turner made 44 starts in the outfield in his second season in the major with the Washington Nationals in 2016.
For the Phillies, it’s a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they need more contributions from their shortstop - whether he’s playing there or elsewhere on the diamond. On the other hand, Turner still has six years remaining on his 11-year, $300 million contract signed in 2023.
A drastic move may not end up well for either side, but coming off a third consecutive season in which the team won only one playoff game before being eliminated and featuring a roster of aging hitters - Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto and Turner are all entering their aged 34-or-older seasons - the team is in need of a quick turnaround from Turner.
In 1,423 career MLB games with the Nationals, Los Angeles Dodgers and Phillies, Turner has hit .291 with 205 home runs and 699 runs batted in. He has two batting titles, a Silver Slugger award and has been an All-Star three times.