Another Superstar, Trea Turner, Wants To Play For The Phillies

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Naysayers, among them countless Philadelphia fanatics, doubted the Phillies all the way to the World Series. No small part of that was a series of underrated or underestimated players who the bookies and the sports radio callers, nevermind their highly vaunted opponents, never saw coming.

One of them was second basemen Jean Segura, arguably the best eight-hole hitter in baseball. The Phillies parted ways with Segura after the World Series, declining a $16 million team option for 2023.

A reunion with Segura is possible, of course, at just a lower price. "Jean did a nice job for us," Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombroski told MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. "We thought the option price was high."

But what seems more likely is that the Phillies go after at least one major free agent target, just as they have for four years in a row now. The most obvious choice is someone who has reportedly expressed interest in playing for Philadelphia: Los Angeles Dodgers superstar shortstop Trea Turner.

Turner, 29, has quietly been one of the best players in baseball for years now, finishing fifth in MVP voting in 2021 and turning in another stellar season in 2022 atop LA's historically dominant lineup. Despite his success with the Dodgers,rumors have always swirled that Turner prefers to play on the east coast (he's from Florida, and played most of his career in Washington, D.C. with the Nationals.

According to two veteran sportswriters with a breadth of contacts in the industry, Jon Heyman and ESPN's Jayson Stark, Turner wants to come to play for the Phillies. "There's some interesting rumblings that Trea Turner wants to play here," Stark said.

In Turner, the Phillies would have one of the best pure leadoff hitters in baseball. He's a high contact, decent power hitter with near-elite speed. He's a good bet to hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases any given year, if not join the 30-30 club.

Turner would cost the Phillies a good bit, but they're not afraid to spend, especially now that this current core has proven they have what it takes to go all the way. The Phillies are a bonafide World Series contender, and owner John Middleton would appear very likely to be willing to spend again to bring another parade to Broad Street.

Getting an idea of what Turner would cost isn't difficult. Mega contracts were handed out to four top flight shortstops last year, with the biggest being the Texas Rangers' 10-year, $325 million purchase of Corey Seager's talents. Seager is probably the closest comparison to what Turner, a superior fielder and baserunner with slightly less power, would probably yield on the open market.

Some analysts think Turner will settle for less, with a bevy of sportswriters predicting around 9 years, and just under $300 million. But odds are good the Phillies would be happy to pay about a Seager-like price for Turner. If Turner wants to come to Philly, they won't be outbid.

Signing Turner, who was drafted by the Nationals, would continue an annual Phillie tradition of stealing away top talent from their biggest NL East rivals, rivals that were unwilling to spend to keep them. They took Bryce Harper from the Nationals before the 2019 season, Zack Wheeler from the New York Mets before 2020, J.T. Realmuto from the Marlins and before he was resigned ahead of 2021, and Kyle Schwarber, a former National, before 2022.

With Turner atop their lineup, the 2023 Phillies reshuffled starting nine could look something like this:

1. Trea Turner, SS
2. Rhys Hoskins, 1B
3. Bryce Harper, RF
4. Kyle Schwarber, LF
5. J.T. Realmuto, C
6. Alec Bohm, 3B
7. Nick Castellanos, DH
8. Bryson Stott, SS
9. Brandon Marsh, CF

With the exception of Hoskins, that entire lineup is signed through at least 2025. South Philly Octobers cuold be red for a long time.