Trea Turner's contract could be preventing position change that would benefit Phillies future

The Philadelphia Phillies are back to the drawing board after a deflating NLDS loss to the New York Mets. There is undeniable talent on this team, but Dave Dombrowski and Rob Thomson have yet to pull the right strings to get Philadelphia over the World Series hump. These windows don't stay open forever, so the pressure is on.

Just about everybody deserves some level of criticism after the Mets series. The bullpen in particular was terrible in the playoffs, but that feels more like a fluke than a new trend. Jeff Hoffman, Matt Strahm, and Orion Kerkering were dominant in the regular season. That is the more important sample size. Otherwise, folks most commonly point to Philadelphia's sleepy offense as a reason for its demise.

After beginning the season red-hot, the Phillies were prone to uncharacteristic slumps after the All-Star break. In the postseason, New York's pitching staff had pretty much every answer for the Phillies' star-studded lineup. The outfield has been a point of weakness all season, but Philadelphia could be looking at several lineup tweaks and depth chart upgrades before the 2025 campaign.

One popular hypothetical change for Philadelphia has involved All-Star shortstop Trea Turner, who has steadily declined on defense since his arrival. The bat continues to pop, but Turner's glove and arm leave much to be desired these days. Once a Gold Glove candidate in his younger years, Turner finished the 2024 season in the 25th percentile for outs above average (-3) and the 32nd percentile for arm strength. Point blank, Turner was a chink in the Phillies' defensive armor.

The Philadelphia front office has never really concerned itself with elite defense, but a position change could be in order for Turner. The only issue? That pesky $300 million contract.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.

Trea Turner's contract could prevent Phillies from pulling the plug at shortstop

Obviously the Phillies aren't going to remove Turner from the starting lineup (nor should they), but a change in position could benefit all parties involved. Turner would be under less stress in the outfield, or even at second base, while Bryson Stott is straight-up a more capable infield glove at this point. Move Stott to short, float Turner around the outfield, and proceed from there. It's a simple fix, although in reality, the situation is far more complex.

The folks on The Phillies Show discussed the potential tightrope situation for Rob Thomson at the 2:16 mark below.

Moving Stott to shortstop improves Philadelphia's infield defense, point blank. Even if that's the extent of the change, and Turner occupies a lower-leverage position at second base, that should improve Philadelphia's standing in the National Leage, if only marginally.

Planting Turner in the outfield, however, is an especially intriguing possibility. That would address Philadelphia's lack of consistent offensive production from the outfield. All of a sudden, the Phils have Turner and Nick Castellanos to prop up those positions, while some rotation of Brandon Marsh, Johan Rojas, and Austin Hays can handle centerfield duties. That is, unless Philadelphia trades for an impact centerfielder, such as long-rumored target Luis Robert Jr. That would, in a blink, give the Phils one of the MLB's top outfield trios.

Such a move would also clear the path for Philadelphia's top prospect, Aidan Miller, to claim his spot on the major-league roster. Dombrowski has said the 20-year-old probably isn't ready, and the Phillies aren't a team to rush prospects through the farm system, but the door would at least be open. Miller is a tremendous bat and he can play either short or second, depending on where Stott best fits.

If Miller isn't up to it, moving Turner to the outfield allows the Phillies to investigate high-caliber infield additions this winter, such as Willy Adames or Gleyber Torres, as well as potential outfield investments. There is just more flexibility if Turner isn't married to shortstop.

As Jim Salisbury posits on The Phillies Show, however, Turner's $300 million contract probably came with an implied guarantee that he is Philadelphia's shortstop. He turned down more money from the Padres to play with his pals in Philly, and odds are Turner enjoys occupying a premier position on defense.

If Turner is open to a change, though, Philadelphia needs to make it happen. That onus falls on Rob Thomson. He is the manager, so he needs to do some convincing.