Phillies, Trea Turner agree on 11-year, $300 million contract, source says

SAN DIEGO — Midway through the summer, in anticipation of their most pressing offseason need, the Phillies dispatched one of their pro scouts for a three-week trip to watch the four impending free-agent shortstops.

The scout reported back, detailing how each player — Trea Turner, Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts, and Dansby Swanson — may fit into the lineup. Over the last few weeks, team officials ranked the shortstops. They had discussions and debates, and in-person meetings with all four.

In the end, they agreed: Turner was their top choice.

And then, the Phillies got their man.

Again.

» READ MORE: With a hefty contract for Trea Turner, the Phillies are all in on the next five seasons

Turner agreed Monday on an 11-year, $300 million contract that includes a full no-trade clause, multiple sources said as the winter meetings got underway at the Manchester Grand Hyatt. The deal is not finalized — and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said he was unable to comment — because it’s pending a physical.

But it marks the fifth consecutive offseason that Phillies ownership, fronted by John Middleton, authorized a seismic move in free agency. The club signed Bryce Harper to a 13-year, $330 million deal before the 2019 season, followed by Zack Wheeler (five years, $118 million), J.T. Realmuto (five years, $115.5 million), and Kyle Schwarber (four years, $79 million) and Nick Castellanos (five years, $100 million) in successive years.

In each case, the Phillies targeted the players and locked them up.

“Trea is one of the best players in the game,” said Nationals manager Dave Martinez, who won a World Series with Turner in Washington in 2019. “He’s done well over the years. We won the championship together. That means a lot to me. I wish him all the best. I know he’s going to be in our division. We’ve got to figure out how to get him out and keep him off the bases.

“It seems like the Phillies got a lot of our guys over there now.”

» READ MORE: Phillies offseason: Key dates, trade talk, signings, analysis, and more

Turner, 29, will join Schwarber, Realmuto, Castellanos, Rhys Hoskins, and eventually, his close friend Harper in headlining a multitalented Phillies lineup that includes power and speed. Turner’s appeal — more than even Correa, a two-time All-Star who, unlike Turner, isn’t tied to draft-pick compensation — is that he provides both. He’s a two-time 20-homer/20-steal player.

“I really believe that you win with star players,” Dombrowski said, without mentioning Turner. “Now, you can’t win with star players alone, but you can build around star players. And so I’ve really always had that belief.”

The Phillies are expected to move Bryson Stott to second base to open shortstop for Turner, who teamed with Harper for four seasons with the Nationals. Turner also reunites with hitting coach Kevin Long, with whom he worked in Washington and had two of his best seasons.

In terms of total value, Turner’s contract ranks second in franchise history behind only Harper’s. Turner’s $27.27 million average annual salary is the highest ever for a Phillies player — and roughly the sum of the 2022 salaries of middle-infield tandem Jean Segura and Didi Gregorius.

As they did with Harper four years ago, the Phillies worked with Turner on elongating the term of the contract and lowering the average annual value, which is used for luxury-tax calculations. In structuring the contract as they did, the Phillies maintained flexibility to make other moves in the short term.

Once the Turner contract is official, the Phillies will be $21 million short of the $233 million luxury-tax threshold. They pushed the payroll into tax territory this year for the first time in franchise history and likely will do so again, according to multiple sources. The 2022 payroll came in at approximately $243 million and will likely be at least that much in 2023.

» READ MORE: Trea Turner would bring speed, solid contact to a power-packed Phillies offense

With Turner in the fold, the Phillies figure to turn their focus to the pitching market. Specifically, they’re seeking a middle-of-the-rotation starter and back-end relief help.

Because Turner received a qualifying offer from his most recent team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, signing him will require the Phillies to give up a second-round draft pick. Dombrowski said they likely won’t sign two qualifying-offer free agents, which would take them out of the market for free-agent pitchers Carlos Rodón and Chris Bassitt.

“I don’t think we’d have much of an appetite for that,” Dombrowski said. “Not saying we never do it, but I would say there’s not much of an appetite.”

Turner, a Florida native, spent the last season-and-a-half with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He batted .298/.343/.466 with 21 homers and 27 steals last season. But upon becoming a free agent, Turner was believed to prefer a return to the East Coast. His wife is from New Jersey.

During an appearance on a Phillies telecast in August, Harper said Turner is “my favorite player in the league.” In turn, Turner is a well-known F.O.B. — “Friend of Bryce.” At the All-Star Game in July, he said Harper was “leading [the Phillies] in the right direction.”

And that was before the Phillies made their unexpected run to the pennant and came within two victories of winning the World Series.

The Phillies ranked fifth in the National League this year in runs (747) and on-base percentage (.317). Turner should help in both areas. His speed also figures to make the offense less reliant on home runs.

Since 2018, Turner leads the majors in stolen bases (149) and ranks second in hits (802) and seventh in Fangraphs’ wins above replacement (24.9). He rated as an average shortstop over the last two seasons but has saved nine runs more than average over the course of his career.

And have you seen those buttery-smooth slides?

“I mean, Trea’s unbelievable,” Harper said in September. “He’s incredible. Just the way he plays, the way he runs, he does a really good job on the bases.”

Turner could fit as a leadoff hitter, pushing Schwarber into a run-producing role. Or he could bat second or third. Here’s one potential configuration of the lineup once Harper returns from Tommy John elbow surgery, likely in June or July:

1. Turner SS

2. Schwarber LF

3. Realmuto C

4. Harper RF/DH

5. Castellanos DH/RF

6. Hoskins 1B

7. Stott 2B

8. Alec Bohm 3B

9. Brandon Marsh CF

Regardless of how they stack up, the Phillies are backing up Dombrowski’s promise that they would “push the needle and try to do what we can to make our club a championship-caliber club.”

In eight major-league seasons, Turner is a .302/.355/.487 hitter with 124 homers and 230 steals. The San Diego Padres, who drafted Turner in 2014 and traded him to Washington in a three-team deal in 2015, made an aggressive push to reacquire him, according to a source.

But once again, the Phillies got their top target.