SAN DIEGO — The Philadelphia Phillies, who targeted free agent shortstop Trea Turner immediately after the World Series, signed him Monday to an 11-year, $300 million contract, a high-ranking Phillies official told USA TODAY Sports.
The official spoke on the condition of anonymity since the Phillies have not announced the deal.
The deal includes a full no-trade clause.
Turner becomes the third shortstop to receive a $300 million contract in baseball history, joining Francisco Lindor of the New York Mets ($341 million) and Fernando Tatis Jr. ($340 million) of the San Diego Padres.
Turner’s deal should set the market price for the three remaining marquee free agent shortstops with Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson.
Turner, 29, is a two-time All-Star, a former batting champion, one of the fastest players in baseball and can hit for both power and average. Since the start of the 2019 season, after which his Washington Nationals won their only World Series title, Turner has been extremely productive, batting .311 with an .870 OPS at a time the leaguewide average has dropped to a historically low .243.
He’s also averaged 26 homers and 35 steals per 162 games during that span. After a trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers in July 2021, Turner was a catalyst for a club that won 106 and 111 games, respectively, the past two seasons.
Yet the Phillies showed early, significant interest in Turner this offseason, and his acquisition will push their total spending on six players to more than $1 billion since the start of 2019. That binge began with Turner’s friend and former Nationals teammate Bryce Harper, who inked a $330 million deal to begin the flurry, and continued with catcher J.T. Realmuto ($115.5 million extension), ace Zack Wheeler ($118 million) and, last winter, sluggers Nick Castellanos ($100 million) and Kyle Schwarber ($79 million).
That group spearheaded a playoff run that reached Game 6 of the 2022 World Series before the Phillies succumbed to the Houston Astros. Now, Turner will spearhead a dynamic young infield, with 2022 rookie Bryson Stott shifting to second base, Alec Bohm at third and veteran Rhys Hoskins at first.
Turner’s signing culminates a process long expected once he and the Nationals made little progress on a long-term deal midway through his stint in Washington. Originally drafted by San Diego, he was acquired by Washington in a three-team trade in 2015.
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