Phillies' Trea Turner Situation is Becoming a Sunk Cost

You would be hard-pressed to find a worse contract in baseball than the one owned by Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner.

Well, it's great for him. He is making $27.3 million annually through 2033 in spite of not even being a starting-caliber player anymore. But for the Phillies? It's a nightmare.

Turner slashed .242/.297/.378 with 19 home runs and 58 RBI over 700 plate appearances this season. He also posted minus-17 defensive runs and saved and minus-8 outs above average. His fielding run value was a minus-9.

Somehow, Turner still managed to post a 1.1 WAR, which tells you a little something about how questionable that statistic actually is.

Regardless, the 33-year-old was a massive liability for Philadelphia in 2026, and it's only going to get worse.

The Phillies clearly want to move him off of shortstop next season, but where will they put him? Outfield seems like the most likely destination, with some even suggesting center field as a possibility. Putting an aging, declining player in center field? What could possibly go wrong?

In reality, there really isn't much Philadelphia can do here. At this point, Turner is essentially a sunk cost. The Phillies aren't moving that contract. They also aren't going to get much out of it for the rest of its tenure. For lack of a better term, they're pretty much screwed.

Philadelphia signed Turner to an 11-year, $300 million deal back in December 2022 following a tremendous run between the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers.

At the time, the contract was totally understandable. And if we're being honest, his first three seasons in Philly were actually pretty good. Heck, he won a batting title in 2025.

But it seems clear that the aging veteran has fallen off a cliff, and I don't think anyone expect this rapid of a decline from the three-time All-Star.

The Phillies were just eliminated from the playoffs yet again, and this time, it was in the Wild Card Series — their earliest exit since not making the postseason at all in 2021.

Turner was far from the only reason for Philadelphia's unceremonious departure from the playoffs, but he was certainly a factor.

The Phillies need to make changes this winter. That much is obvious. But the only change they can really make with Turner is a position change ... and that probably won't solve much of anything.

Turner is under contract with Philadelphia for seven more years, and the Phillies are just going to have to deal with it ... whether he's at shortstop, playing outfield or on the bench.