With the offseason underway for the Philadelphia Phillies, the team has plenty of work to do to get them to where they want to be. 

Even though the Phillies have been able to make the playoffs for five straight seasons, the 2026 campaign felt like a different one for the franchise. Philadelphia was one of the worst teams in the league to start the year, and it appeared like their window to contend had slammed shut. 

There were a lot of players who got off to bad starts for the team, and they were 10 games under the .500 mark before making the switch to Don Mattingly as the manager. 

After that, things did improve, and the team was able to make the postseason on the final day. However, this was always a flawed team, and there were numerous issues. 

One of the reasons why the team did not perform up to expectations was the play of shortstop Trea Turner. As a key member of the team, the veteran shortstop had the worst year of his career both defensively and offensively. Now, while the Phillies would reportedly like to trade him, that seems like an impossible task. 

Phillies Being Able to Trade Turner Would Be Shocking

After the 2022 campaign, Philadelphia made a major splash and signed Turner to a massive 11-year, $300 million deal. With an average salary of just over $27 million per season, it seemed like a steep price at the time, and this is a contract that is not aging well. 

This season, Turner was one of the worst defensive shortstops in the league and his performance at the plate wasn’t much better. The former All-Star slashed .242/.297/.378 with 19 home runs and 58 RBI. With an OPS below .700, Turner was one of the reasons why the batting order did not perform up to expectations. 

While it makes sense why the Phillies would want to trade him, finding a partner feels like an impossible task. Philadelphia is considering moving him off shortstop due to his struggles already, and at 33 years old, there have to be some major concerns about his regression. 

Furthermore, while the play on the field was not good, the contract that comes along with him is also a major burden. It’s hard to imagine any team would want to pick up the remaining seven years of his deal. 

While the Phillies could try to absorb some of the money to move him, that also seems like it would be a steep price for them. Overall, even though they might shop him, it would be shocking if he is ultimately traded this offseason.