Phillies Basically Just Told Us Trea Turner's Future

Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner did not have a good season in 2026. That much is obvious.

The 33-year-old slashed .242/.297/.378 while posting a miserable minus-17 defensive runs saved, and at no point during the year did he appear he was going to break out of it.

Considering Turner still has seven years remaining on the 11-year, $300 million contract he signed with the Phillies, Philadelphia could be in pretty bad shape here.

Turner was so bad at shortstop, in fact, that there has been rampant speculation that he could move to the outfield, and Turner himself had opened up about a potential position change.

But based on recent comments from team president Dave Dombrowski, that doesn't seem like it's going to happen. At least not yet.

Dombrowski delivered some very pointed comments about Turner while speaking to reporters on Thursday, saying that it's "mandatory" for the three-time All-Star to improve at shortstop heading into 2027.

So it seems like the Phillies will be giving Turner a chance to start next spring at shortstop and then see how he progresses before moving him.

The problem with Dombrowski's comments is that his demands for Turner might not be entirely possible.

Again, Turner is 33 years old, and his decline in 2026 was very steep. He won a batting title the season prior, batting .304. So perhaps there is hope for a turnaround ... or at least a slight rebound.

But how often do you see a healthy player fall off a cliff in his mid 30s and then recover? It's incredibly rare.

It would be one thing if Turner were battling injuries throughout 2026. The Phillies could then hope that getting healthy over the winter would allow the veteran to have a much stronger campaign in 2027

However, if Turner really is just declining, then moving him off of shortstop might just be what Philadelphia has to do.

Unfortunately, Turner probably wouldn't fare much better in the outfield. The Washington Nationals briefly tried him out there many moons ago (when was considerably younger), and it didn't go very well.

Not only that, but a trip to the outfield is not going to make him a better hitter. If he posts a .675 OPS again next season, it won't matter where he plays; he isn't going to be very useful.

Turner is under contract through 2033, so the Phillies might be stuck with one of the biggest albatrosses in baseball if he doesn't show any signs of a bounceback next spring.