Phillies Star Appears in Line for Position Change
A position change for Philadelphia Phillies star Trea Turner now looks inevitable. When the Phillies signed Turner after the 2022 season, they probably did not envision this coming so soon. Turner was likely to change positions at some point during his contract which runs through the 2033 season. The Phillies have a number of rising middle infield prospects in their farm system, led by Aidan Miller and Starlyn Caba, both primarily shortstops. Alec Bohm is free agent-eligible after the 2026 season, and Bryson Stott is free agent-eligible after the 2027 season.
How those contracts line up with other contracts, and the MLB ETAs for Miller and Caba set up Turner to make a position change eventually. However, he has been so bad defensively at shortstop that the position change timeline needs to be moved up. Making the switch during the offseason must be on the table. Making the change during the time left in the 2024 season remains highly unlikely. Turner will remain at shortstop through this season unless something drastically changes. But since keeping Turner at shortstop beyond this season hurts the Phillies’ defense significantly, a position change is necessary.
Position Change For Trea Turner Seems Inevitable
Defensive Struggles At Shortstop
This season Turner has -12 Defensive Runs Saved and -3 Outs Above Average with a -2 Fielding Run Value at shortstop. That first figure is the second worst Defensive Runs Saved total this season among qualified shortstops, eclipsed only by Willy Adames. Turner is tied with Oneil Cruz for the fourth worst rating in Outs Above Average and Fielding Run Value among qualified shortstops. 10 of Turner’s 16 errors have been fielding errors, while the other six were throwing errors. He has a .957 fielding percentage in 2024, which is his worst in a season with at least 800 defensive innings at shortstop.
