The Philadelphia Phillies surely regret this.
When the Philadelphia Phillies signed Trea Turner to an 11-year, $300 million contract in December 2022, he was coming off of a fantastic season with the Los Angeles Dodgers in which he posted an .809 OPS and totaled 100 RBI for the first time in his career.
Needless to say, the Phillies may now be regretting the deal, as Turner does not even resemble the player they thought they were getting when they acquired him.
Yes, Turner did put together back-to-back strong campaigns in 2024 and 2025, winning a batting title after hitting .304 during the latter season. But the 33-year-old has fallen off of a cliff this year.
Turner is slashing .242/.292/.375 over 428 plate appearances, and his advanced metrics make things look even worse.
His BABIP is .285, so he isn't exactly getting unlucky. His hard-hit rate is his lowest since 2018. His out-of-zone swing percentage is 35.1 percent, well up from his lifetime average of 29.9 percent. His in-zone swing percentage has dipped to 69.0 percent after being above 72 percent five seasons in a row.
To make matters worse, Turner has been nothing short of an unmitigated nightmare at shortstop, as he owns a minus-10 DRS, minus-6 OAA and minus-7 FRV.
Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner. Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images.There is literally nothing about Turner's season — outside of his 17 stolen bases in 19 attempts — that has been positive, and you have to wonder at this point if the three-time All-Star is on a steep decline.
Turner boasts a career .293/.345/.471 slash line, so perhaps what he is experiencing this year is just an outlier. Or maybe it's a sign of things to come.
The former first-round pick is under contract through 2033 making $27.3 million each season. Good luck moving that deal.
Considering that the Phillies are now closely monitoring their payroll and were very quiet last winter as a result, you have to think that Dave Dombrowski is deeply regretting his decision to ink Turner to such an expansive pact.
Bryce Harper is making big money for a while, too, but at least he is still productive. The same goes for the ageless Kyle Schwarber.
But Turner? He has taken such a nose dive this season that he has now become a negative asset for Philadelphia, and there may not be any end in sight.
Remember how bad the Nick Castellanos contract looked toward the end? There were obviously other issues involved there, but it pales in comparison to what the Phillies are now looking at with Turner, who isn't going anywhere anytime soon.
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