The Los Angeles Dodgers are, yet again, the best team in all of baseball with a 106-47 record. Despite losing Corey Seager and Max Scherzer over the offseason, the Dodgers just keep trucking along, as they remain incredibly stacked, led by star first baseman Freddie Freeman and outfielder Mookie Betts. So with shortstop Trea Turner's free agency fast approaching, it's understandable that the Dodgers will be taking a cautious approach on whether or not to break the bank to retain his services.
According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, with the Dodgers being wary of the years Turner's next contract will command, the Philadelphia Phillies could emerge as the favorites to land the 29-year old shortstop.
“The question is will the Dodgers give him that kind of money when they didn’t keep homegrown shortstop Corey Seager, who signed for $325 million last winter with the Texas Rangers?” Nightengale wrote. “The favorite to land Turner continues to be the Philadelphia Phillies, who have about $50 million coming off the books.”
Trea Turner will be such an outstanding add for the Phillies, should they decide to pursue the speedster. There are no weaknesses in his game, and quite simply, the difference between incumbent Phillies shortstop Bryson Stott and Turner is immense. Turner has hit 20 home runs and 97 runs batted in, slashing an impressive .299/.345/.472 from a defense-oriented position, and he has also stolen 25 bases, marking his second straight 20-20 season. While Stott has been solid defensively, he is hitting a rather pedestrian .225/.287/.343.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers, even if they fail to retain Trea Turner, should be more than fine, with Gavin Lux a more than capable replacement sliding over from second base. And when stars are struggling, like 2019 NL MVP Cody Bellinger, you could just expect unsung heroes to step up and replace their production, similar to what Trayce Thompson is doing for them currently. Thus, it might be a shrewd move for the Dodgers to play it safe, especially when they could just set out to develop the next Turner.
Nonetheless, Jeff Snider of Dodgers Nation added that the Dodgers might be more willing to keep Trea Turner than Seager because his athleticism makes him likelier to stay at shortstop even if Turner is two years older than Seager was when he hit free agency. Even then, the Dodgers will find Turner's contract situation to be the least of their concerns, especially as they set out to claim their second World Series crown in three years as the postseason approaches.
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