Philadelphia Phillies $300 Million Contract Predicted To Be Disaster

The first two seasons of the star's career hasn't gone as planned, but the Philadelphia Phillies have reason to believe it'll change.

Oct 8, 2024; New York City, New York, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (7) hits a single in the third inning against the New York Mets during game three of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citi Field. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies are filled with star talent, but things get worrisome when those players don't perform at the level they're expected to. 

Unfortunately, the first two seasons of Trea Turner's time with the Phillies haven't gone as planned.

Turner hasn't put up bad numbers, but after signing a $300 million deal spanning over 11 years, the hope was for him to come in and continue being one of the best shortstops in Major League Baseball. 

Before signing with Philadelphia, he was a 140 OPS+ hitter, but during his two campaigns with the Phillies, he's posted a 110 and 124 OPS+.

His numbers have been decent, but to say he hasn't been underwhelming would be dishonest. 

It's tough to count out a guy like Turner since all he's done throughout his career is show he can play at a high level, and two tough seasons won't change that.

However, if he doesn't start to figure it out by Year 3 and he doesn't show up in the postseason, it might be time to press the panic button.

He's only getting older, and at 31 years old, Philadelphia still has nearly a decade left on his contract. 

Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report believes that it will become an issue, predicting him to have one of the worst contracts in baseball by 2027.

"Trea Turner's 11-year, $300 million deal with the Phillies is already off to an underwhelming start. In 2023, it wasn't until that standing ovation in August that he really got his bat going. He was more consistent in 2024, but he missed a chunk of action with a hamstring strain. That strain would be easier to ignore if Turner's trademark baserunning didn't suffer any hits last year, but that is not the case. He recorded the slowest sprint speed of his career and, after going 30-for-30 in 2023, went 19-for-23 in stolen bases."

In 2027, the multi-time All-Star will be 34 years old, and as Rymer alluded to, there are some concerning signs about him slowing down.

When Turner is at his best, he does many of the little things at a high level.

Stealing bases, hitting home runs, finding ways to get on base, and outside of being a below average defender, he's simply a really good baseball player.

But, if he doesn't have the whole package throughout much of the next decade, the Phillies could be in a bad spot.

The hope is that Philadelphia wins a World Series within the next few campaigns, essentially eliminating any possible failures of this contract.

Winning often solves everything, even if it ends in just one ring.