MLB writer praises Phillies for pairing Bryce Harper with Trea Turner for the foreseeable future
Free agent shortstop Trea Turner, who many considered the top shortstop in a deep class of free agents this year, has signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. He agreed to an astonishing 11 year, $300 million contract. The deal also has a no-trade clause, which means he'll be tied to Philadelphia for a very long time.
Another superstar who will also be tied to Philadelphia for a long time is Bryce Harper. The slugger, who won the 2021 National League MVP, will be in Philadelphia through the 2031 season before he re-enters free agency.
The shortstop will be there through 2033, so these two will be teammates for a long time. MLB writer Kade Kistner loves the idea of putting the two together for a very long time.
Trea Turner to the Phillies for 11 years and $300M. What a deal. Harper and Turner in Philly until they retire. Gotta love it.
Kistner tweeted:
"Trea Turner to the Phillies for 11 years and $300M. What a deal. Harper and Turner in Philly until they retire. Gotta love it."
Both players debuted with the Nationals and were teammates for a few seasons before Harper ultimately left for Philadelphia.
Now, they're reunited and it's hard to imagine either of them being traded or signing elsewhere when they're nearing 40 or older.
The Phillies won the National League and came within two games of a World Series title. They're clearly not at all content with that as they went out and signed, rather quickly, what many considered to be the second-best free agent overall.
Potential Phillies lineup with Trea Turner
Showing a willingness to spend big, it's impossible to consider the Phillies' offseason over. They'll likely be active on other players, but this is what their lineup could look like now:
- Turner, SS
- Kyle Schwarber, LF
- Rhys Hoskins, 1B
- Bryce Harper, DH/RF
- J.T. Realmuto, C
- Nick Castellanos, RF/DH
- Alec Bohm/Bryson Stott, 3B
- Jean Segura/Bryson Stott, 2B
- Brandon Marsh, CF
There aren't many lineups in baseball with as much high-end talent as Philadelphaia now has. It's hard to imagine them not making a serious run at another World Series appearance.
With the new shortstop and Harper in town for essentially forever, that might be true for most years.