Trea Turner contract: Phillies sign star shortstop to massive deal

The Philadelphia Phillies have signed star shortstop Trea Turner to a huge contract, thus adding to their National League pennant-winning team from a year ago.

Trea Turner was the top shortstop available on the open market, the Phillies had a clear hole in that department. Philadelphia general manager Dave Dombrowski was always bound to sign one of the four core free-agent shortstops, the question was always which one.

Turner, who is the star of this group, has been linked to Philadelphia for quite some time. His wife grew up just over 50 miles from the City of Brotherly Love in Flemington, New Jersey.

Trea Turner contract details

Per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Trea Turner’s contract will cover him through his age-40 season. Turner, who slashed .298/.343/.466 last season with 21 home runs, will immediately slide into a lineup which already features his former teammate, Bryce Harper (when healthy), Kyle Schwarber, Rhys Hoskins and more. It was the Phils power which took them to near-World Series glory. Perhaps with Turner available, they’ll achieve similar success.

What Trea Turner deal means for Phillies, NL East

Despite winning the National League last season, the Phillies finished third in the NL East, with the Mets and Braves ending the year ahead of them. Suddenly, Philadelphia’s chances seem much better, especially should Bryce Harper come back healthy by midseason.

Turner’s contract resets the market for the remaining three free-agent shortstops — Xander Bogaerts, Carlos Correa and Dansby Swanson — all three of whom are looking for their own record-breaking deals. By breaking the $300 million mark, Bogaerts, Correa and Swanson should know exactly where they stand.

Expect the deals to start pouring in now, especially after Turner and Justin Verlander both inked deals in the NL East. Could a Braves response be coming?