Kembali
The Philadelphia Phillies are looking to shake things up on their roster this offseason after a disappointing 2026 campaign.
They advanced to the postseason for the fifth year in a row, but their stay in the playoffs has shortened every year since making the World Series in 2022. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski knows changes need to be made with his aging core.
He is open to trading away some players, with shortstop Trea Turner and left fielder Brandon Marsh reportedly being made available. Given how 2026 ended for each of them, finding a team willing to take on Turner’s contract or getting any value for Marsh will prove difficult.
However, the Phillies could look into swapping undesirable contracts with another franchise. One team that comes to mind is the Texas Rangers, who are reportedly open to moving shortstop Corey Seager, according to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.
“There is no bigger question surrounding the Rangers this offseason than Corey Seager's future. The Rangers are open to trading him, according to industry sources. Finding a match is the tricky part. Seager is owed $155 million over the next five years and will play next season at 33 years old,” Gonzalez wrote.
There are other obstacles to overcome moving Seager. He has a full no-trade clause as a 10-and-5 player, so he can block any deal. Alas, Gonzalez has reported that the veteran shortstop is willing to waive that no-trade clause for the right situation.
Would Philadelphia constitute the right situation for him? Seager has been named as a potential trade fit for the Phillies, and they could look to make a swap similar to what the Rangers did with their National League East rivals, the New York Mets, last offseason.
Looking to shed the contract of second baseman Marcus Semien, Texas traded him to the Mets in exchange for outfielder Brandon Nimmo, whose contract New York wanted to move off of. Could a similar swap of Seager for Turner occur this season?
Coming off the least productive season of his career, Turner is a hard sell for anyone to take on, as he is signed through 2033 with an annual average of approximately $27.3 million. He is under contract two years longer than Seager, but Seager’s annual value is $31 million, so they’d save a few million dollars over the next five years, a not insignificant thing given the uncertain future the sport faces heading toward a lockout.
That would offset the risk when it comes to durability. Turner led MLB with 645 at-bats in 2026 and played in 156 games. He has played in at least 121 games every season since becoming a Big League regular in 2018, not counting the abbreviated 2020 campaign.
Seager, on the other hand, has hit that mark only three times during that span. He has back-to-back campaigns of 102 games played, presenting a lot of risk in taking him on.
Alas, his production when on the field remains excellent. He would provide Philadelphia with a legitimate power threat in the lineup and stellar defense at shortstop, something Turner did not provide in 2026 as one of the worst defensive players in the sport.
There are certainly pros and cons to a swap of this magnitude for the Phillies, but one they should reach out to the Rangers to discuss.