The Phillies’ shortstop situation is one of the biggest questions hanging over their offseason, and it starts with Trea Turner. He is still in the picture, but after a steep drop in 2026, Philadelphia can’t just assume he’ll be the answer in 2027.
Turner’s glove was a real problem last season, and his bat didn’t do enough to offset it. That leaves the Phillies with a decision to make: stick with him, turn to Aidan Miller if he’s ready, or go outside the organization for help.
One name that has surfaced is Corey Seager. Dayn Perry of CBS Sports included the Texas Rangers shortstop on a list of the top 25 trade targets, placing him in the NTC targets tier because he would have a say in any destination if Texas decided to move him.
For Philadelphia, the fit is obvious on paper, even if the path to getting him is not. The Phillies’ farm system would normally make a deal for a player like Seager tough to pull off, but his injury history and the size of his contract - he is owed $155 million through 2031 - could bring the price down from what a player with his track record usually costs.
Seager’s résumé is loaded. He’s a five-time All-Star, two-time World Series MVP and three-time Silver Slugger. Even with the injury concerns, he has still put together 9.3 bWAR over the last two seasons, despite appearing in 102 games in each of those years.
The offense is where he would make the biggest impact. Seager hit 112 OPS+ in 2026, tied for the second-lowest single-season mark of his career, but that number would still have ranked third on the Phillies behind only Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber.
He also brings the kind of power Philadelphia could use. Seager has launched at least 20 home runs in five straight seasons and owns a career 162-game average of 32 homers, with a 4.5% home run rate compared to the 3.1% league average.
There’s more to his game than pop, too. Seager works counts, draws walks and remains a strong defender, all of which would help a Phillies club looking for more stability and more production. The downside is obvious: he would be at least 33 years old during the 2027 season, so any commitment would come with real risk.
Still, if Turner is no longer the right answer at shortstop, Seager would be a major upgrade over what Philadelphia has in house right now.
In Other News...
Phillies Rumor Could Be About More Than Adding Another Starter
Free agency opens Nov. 2, and the Phillies are already being linked to one of the more intriguing arms on the market in right-hander Freddy Peralta. His name makes sense on the surface for a club trying to sort through payroll questions and the uncertainty that comes with the next round of CBA talks, but the fit may go beyond simply plugging another starter into the rotation. Peraltas rise after being traded to the Tampa Bay Rays only adds to the appeal, especially for a team that values flexibility.
For Philadelphia, a move like this could ripple beyond the mound. A starter of Peraltas caliber would not only deepen the rotation, it could also give the front office more room to maneuver if it decides to reshuffle the roster elsewhere. In a winter where every financial decision may carry extra weight, the Phillies appear to be looking at ways to strengthen the club without boxing themselves into one path. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Just Created A Quiet Infield Twist For The Offseason
The Phillies spent a quiet stretch of the roster calendar adding some infield depth, claiming Brett Harris and Shay Whitcomb off waivers from the Giants. It is the kind of move that can look minor on paper but matters in the margins, especially for a club trying to keep options open as the offseason takes shape. At the same time, catcher Garrett Stubbs and infielder Alec Bohm elected free agency, a reminder that the roster churn around this point of the year can move quickly.
Philadelphia also reinstated several players from the 60-day injured list to the 40-man roster, including Flix Reyes, Brad Keller, Caleb Kilian and Johan Rojas. Those transactions do not settle the bigger questions facing the club, but they do sharpen the picture of how the Phillies are managing depth and flexibility heading into the winter. The infield, in particular, now has a slightly different look than it did a day ago, and there may be more movement still to come. [Read more 🡒]
Bryce Harper Just Sparked A Phillies Debate Fans Did Not Expect
Bryce Harper has a way of turning even a casual social media comment into a talking point, and his latest post did exactly that. The Phillies star weighed in on TikTok with a remark suggesting there may not be a baseball season in 2027, a line that immediately sent fans looking past the usual game-day chatter and toward the bigger labor picture surrounding MLB and the players' union.
Harper has long been one of the sport's more visible union voices, so any hint of his thinking tends to land with extra weight. He also said he enjoys the offseason more than the season, a comment some fans have read a few different ways, though it could just as easily reflect the grind of the schedule and the pull of family life. Either way, it has given Phillies fans another reminder that the off-field battles around baseball may be just as worth watching as the ones on the field. [Read more 🡒]