Will the Phillies’ next big signing be a star shortstop? There could be plenty of options.

The Phillies have signed a player for at least $20 million a year in four straight offseasons. Investing in an area of need this winter could make it a fifth.

The Red Sox's Xander Bogaerts (left) and the Dodgers' Trea Turner.Read moreAP

by Scott Lauber

Published July 22, 2022, 2:09 p.m. ET

The trade deadline is less than two weeks away, which means Washington Nationals wunderkind Juan Soto won’t be able to hug anyone without setting Twitter ablaze. Bryce Harper may have the pins removed from his broken thumb by next weekend. And with 40% of the season left to play, the Phillies have a chance to finally return to the playoffs after a decade in the darkness.

Back to all of that shortly.

Many of the best players in baseball gathered this week in Los Angeles, and it was difficult not to think beyond the here and now. Especially when Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Trea Turner said this in answering a question about Harper’s four-year absence from the All-Star Game.

”He’s been great for Philly. He’s played really, really well. The All-Star Game’s great, but I think more importantly he’s just playing great baseball for that city. He’s leading them in the right direction.”

Hmmm.

At the risk of making a connection that isn’t there, Turner sounded an awful lot like someone who wouldn’t mind a reunion with Harper. He’s admittedly an F.O.B — “Friend of Bryce” — after teaming with him for parts of four seasons with the Nationals. The feeling is mutual. Harper speaks highly of Turner, often stating that the reigning National League batting champion is among the most underrated players in the sport. And Harper’s voice has sway with Phillies ownership and management.

Oh, and did we mention that Turner can be a free agent after the season?

Meanwhile, over on the American League side, All-Star shortstop Xander Bogaerts said he hasn’t heard from the Red Sox on a potential contract extension since the spring, when they reportedly made a lowball offer. He can opt out after the season with three years and $60 million remaining on the six-year, $120 million deal that he signed when Phillies boss Dave Dombrowski ran Boston’s baseball operations.

Hmmm.

“If we haven’t had anything up to this point, then I’m not assuming anything will happen,” Bogaerts said of recent talks with the Sox. “Because it hasn’t so far.”

It’s possible, then, that Turner and Bogaerts headline another bumper crop of free-agent shortstops that may also include Atlanta’s Dansby Swanson and possibly Minnesota’s Carlos Correa. And the Phillies could decide this winter to shop in the shortstop aisle, given that they came out of the All-Star break tied for 24th among 30 teams in wins above replacement (0.6) and ranked 26th in on-base plus slugging (.609) at the position.

The Phillies sat out last year’s shortstop derby in part because they couldn’t unload Didi Gregorius and had top prospect Bryson Stott on the verge of the majors. They remain bullish on Stott, although his defense has been better at second base. But Gregorius emerged from the break with one home run in 192 plate appearances.

Over the last few years, the shortstop market has exploded, with Fernando Tatis Jr., Francisco Lindor, and Corey Seager signing $300-plus million megacontracts. If Turner hits the market, he likely will aim to beat Seager’s $32.5 million average annual salary from the Texas Rangers. Bogaerts would seek to top the $20 million per year that he’d be giving up if he opts out.

Either way, it would be a lot of money for a team that already has a franchise-record payroll nearing $240 million and is poised to pay the luxury tax for the first time.

But the Phillies’ return to contention is rooted in free-agent purchases. In four consecutive offseasons, they signed one player for at least $20 million per year. It began with Harper ($25.385 million, calculated for the luxury tax), followed by Zack Wheeler ($23.6 million), J.T. Realmuto ($23.1 million), and Nick Castellanos ($20 million). Kyle Schwarber ($19.75 million) is very nearly part of the club.

Would ownership really spring for another big-ticket free agent?

Maybe. If the Phillies don’t pick up Jean Segura’s $17 million option, the savings combined with Gregorius’ expiring deal would total $28 million for luxury-tax purposes. They could apply that money to a star shortstop and move Stott to second base, then use the $31 million rolling off the books from Corey Knebel, Kyle Gibson, Brad Hand, and Jeurys Familia to address other needs.

There’s uncertainty all over the infield beyond this season. Will Alec Bohm stay at third base? Is there interest in a multiyear deal with first baseman Rhys Hoskins, who is under club control for only one more season? Does Segura stay or go? Which position is best for Stott?

Bogaerts, who turns 30 in October, is a two-time World Series winner with championship-level character. But the Red Sox braced for his potential departure by signing Trevor Story before the season. It’s even possible, if the struggling Sox don’t heat up in the next week, that they could trade Bogaerts by the Aug. 2 deadline.

Turner, 29, leads the NL in hits and stolen bases since 2018. He’s a solid defender at both shortstop and second base who could resolve the Phillies’ longstanding issues in the leadoff spot. And he plays with style. His buttery-smooth feet-first slides across home plate have become internet memes.

Signing Turner would mean outbidding the deep-pocket Dodgers, who traded for him at the deadline last year and cleared a path to be their long-term shortstop when they let Seager walk. But there’s been no extension talk yet, leading to speculation that Turner, a Florida native who went to college at North Carolina State, prefers the East Coast.

“I was open to extension ideas [in Washington] because I felt so comfortable there, and then when I got traded over here, I just felt like I needed more information,” Turner said. “This year’s been so much better than last year. Looking to free agency, [L.A.] is a great place to play. First-class franchise. They want to compete year in, year out. It’s definitely a good spot to be and definitely a place I could see myself long-term.

“But there’s a lot more questions to be asked and answers and what not. We’ll see what happens.”

Sure will. Put a pin in that until November.

OK, now back to the trade deadline.