The Philadelphia Phillies’ 2024 season concluded after being eliminated from the NLDS in four games by the New York Mets. Trea Turner, a shortstop, was one player who struggled at the plate with the season on the line.
Is his 11-year, $300 million contract set to become a “nightmare” during the next few seasons? Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report identified one contract for each MLB team that will look bad in 2026. He predicts that Turner’s lucrative contract would eventually become a burden for Philadelphia.
“Turner was still an elite runner this year, but only in comparison to his peers.” Rymer stated that his average sprint speed of 29.6 feet per second was a new low for him. “Turner still has a solid bat if you take away his speed, but he’s having trouble hitting fastballs and appears to be past his prime power. His shortstop defense is also above average, according to Outs Above Average. Despite these circumstances, Turner had a respectable season, though it was far from his finest. And if his abilities continue to deteriorate, his brightest days will become a distant memory.
A Look at Trea Turner’s Second Season With the Phillies
Turner’s 2024 regular season in Philadelphia lasted only 121 games due to a lengthy time on the injured list. Despite this, his production was comparable (if not superior in several areas) to the previous year.
The shortstop had to recover from a bad start in 2023. However, FanGraphs rated his performance at 4.2 WAR. It includes a career-high 150 strikeouts and a wRC+ of 108, the lowest since 2018 (105). In 155 games, he hit 26 home runs, had 76 RBI, scored 102 runs, and stole 30 bases.
This season, Turner’s strikeout percentage fell from 21.7% to 18.2%. He also had a 124 wRC+ with 21 home runs, 62 RBI, 88 runs scored, and 19 steals in 152 fewer plate appearances than in 2023. His overall value came in at 3.9 WAR.
Those are impressive stats, but are we already seeing the 31-year-old’s performance deteriorate? In 2021, he had a career-high 7.1 WAR while playing for both the Washington Nationals and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Since then, the number has steadily fallen (6.4 in 2022, 4.2 in 2023, and 3.9 in 2024).
The Phillies Need Trea Turner to Show up in the Postseason
Philadelphia went 95-67 during the regular season, winning its first National League East division title since 2011. However, having entering 2024 with championship expectations, this year will be considered as a disappointment following a premature exit in October.
Following Turner’s two years of postseason baseball for the Phillies, an intriguing trend has emerged. Philly advances to the next round when he delivers at the plate and is eliminated when he does not.
Turner had an OPS of at least 1.400 in the Phillies’ Wild Card Series victory over the Miami Marlins and NLDS win over the Atlanta Braves in 2023. However, as they were eliminated by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2023 NLCS, he struggled with a.636 OPS. The same situation happened in the club’s 2024 NLDS defeat to the Mets, when he hit.200/.294/.200 in 17 plate appearances.
Turner’s chances of returning to his 2021 and 2022 form are slim because he is currently in his early 30s. However, Philadelphia will be hoping that his huge contract does not pull down the payroll in the coming years.
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