The next Phillies manager is going to walk into a messy decision, and it starts with Trea Turner.
Philadelphia has plenty on its offseason plate after a disappointing 2026 campaign, but the Turner question sits near the center of it all. The club is expected to hire a new manager, with Alex Cora viewed as the favorite because of his strong relationship with Dave Dombrowski. That would mean replacing interim manager Don Mattingly, who took over after Rob Thomson was fired following a 9-19 start.
Whoever gets the job will inherit a shortstop situation that no longer looks simple. Turner has been the everyday man there for the last few seasons, but his grip on the position is a lot shakier now than it was a year ago.
That’s because 2026 was a rough one. After leading the National League with a .304 batting average in 2025 and playing at an elite level defensively, Turner’s production fell sharply this season. It was the least productive year of his career, and it has opened the door to real questions about what comes next.
He is still almost certainly going to be on the roster. After the season he just had, it is tough to picture another team lining up to take him on. On top of that, he remains under contract through 2033, a deal that could wind up becoming one of the biggest burdens in the game.
The bat is one concern. The glove may be the bigger one.
Turner no longer looks like a player who can anchor the infield at shortstop the way Philadelphia needs, and his defensive struggles were a major factor in the Phillies ending up with the least productive defense in the MLB. A new manager may need to decide whether the best move is shifting him down in the lineup to ease some pressure or making a more dramatic change to his position.
Turner recently addressed the idea that questions about his game were bound to come up.
“Um, I think yes in the sense that it would come at some point in my career,” Turner said, via Matt Gelb of The Athletic (subscription required). “When or why or what … it could be a different answer. But if you don’t play well in any sense of the word, there will always be questions.”
There is also the reason he chose Philadelphia in the first place: the Phillies guaranteed he would remain at shortstop, at least for a while. He handled the spot for several years, but that arrangement appears to be reaching its limit.
The numbers back up the concern. Turner posted a -17 Defensive Runs Saved in 2026, tied for the second-worst mark in the MLB with Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros and Logan O’Hoppe of the Los Angeles Angels. Only Luke Keaschall of the Minnesota Twins was worse.
A shift to the outfield could help Philadelphia in a few ways. It would give the team another right-handed bat there, open a path for top prospect Aidan Miller if he stays healthy, and allow Bryson Stott to take over shortstop, a job he is more than capable of handling.
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