The Philadelphia Phillies landed a coveted star shortstop. The Phillies and two-time All-Star Trea Turner have agreed to an 11-year contract worth $300 million, reports ESPN. The team has yet to confirm the signing. The contract includes a full no-trade clause and no opt-out clause.
Signing with the defending National League champions reunites Turner with Bryce Harper, his teammate with the Washington Nationals from 2015 to 2018. Harper even said “Turner is my favorite player in the league, it’s not even close.” , last August. Chances are Harper has been lobbying the Philadelphia front office on Turner’s behalf in recent weeks. Turner also played with Kyle Schwarber with the Nationals in 2021 before they were both traded at the deadline.
The 11-year term comes with an average annual value of $27.3 million, which is significant because the Competitive Balance Tax (CBT) payroll is calculated using the annual value. mean. Turner probably could have gotten more than $30 million a year on a shorter-term deal, but extending it to 11 years gives the Phillies more wiggle room when it comes to CBT in the immediate future.
Turner, 29, is one of the most electric players in the sport. He’s a power/speed threat who’s created a .298/.343/.466 batting line with 39 doubles, 21 homers and 27 interceptions in 30 attempts for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2022. Add superior defense to the average at a prime position and Turner has been worth 5.7 WAR per 162 games in his career. He’s a real superstar.
Presumably, Turner will take over at shortstop with Bryson Stott sliding to second base, his expected long-term position. Stott has played well enough as a rookie in 2022, especially once Rob Thomson takes over as manager, but players like Turner don’t become available often and the Phillies are right in the middle of their series window. world, so Stott will change position.
Our RJ Anderson ranked Turner as the fourth best free agent available this offseason and the second best shortstop behind Carlos Correa. Here is his wording:
Turner has been the second-best shortstop in the majors for the past three seasons, posting higher OPS+ than everyone but Fernando Tatis Jr., whose output has been half as much due to injury and suspension . He’s a dynamic offensive player, an elite runner with above-average raw power who’s capable of delivering a 20-20 effort every season. Turner has an aggressive approach at the plate that allows him to easily widen his zone, but it hasn’t worked against him yet and, moreover, misses are an opportunity for him to hit a single down the field. The most concerning issue with Turner’s game is his defense. He made 16 errors last season, by far the most best free agent shortstops. (Correa, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson combined for 26.) Mistakes are an imperfect measure, though it’s reasonable to think he might have to slip to the other side of the bag in the future (a position whom he already knows, having played out of respect for Corey Seager). Either way, Turner has been a very productive hitter throughout his career, and there’s no reason to expect that to change anytime soon.
As good as Turner is – and he’s excellent – it’s worth noting that speed doesn’t usually age well. Excluding the 60-game pandemic season in 2020, Turner’s stolen base attempts have steadily increased from 54 in 2017 to 52 (2018) to 40 (2019) to 37 (2021) to 30 (2022). He does enough of other things to remain an elite player, but he’s starting to age as a stolen base threat.
FanGraphs currently estimates Philadelphia’s 2023 CBT payroll at $217.8 million with Turner below the $233 million threshold. The Phillies still plan to add at least one starting pitcher, not to mention help from the bullpen and general depth. Rhys Hoskins and Aaron Nola are a year away from free agency and the club could also explore extensions with the two.
Turner rejected the $19.6 million qualifying offer earlier this offseason. Because they paid CBT in 2022, the Phillies will lose their second and fifth 2023 draft picks, plus $1 million in international bonuses for the 2024 signing period to sign Turner. The Dodgers will receive a compensatory draft pick after the fourth round for Turner as they also paid CBT.
#Trea #Turner #signs #Phillies