Dave Dombrowski says the $300 million shortstop has until spring training to prove he can still play the position.
Dave Dombrowski has a message for Trea Turner: get better at shortstop, or get a new position. The Phillies president of baseball operations delivered the warning at a press conference at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday morning, a year after he aimed similarly pointed criticism at Bryce Harper.
Turner, who has seven years left on his $300 million contract, just finished arguably the worst season of his career. He hit .242 with a .675 OPS and led the league with 21 errors at shortstop, posting -17 defensive runs saved, the third time in his four years with the Phillies he's finished in the red there.
"From a defensive perspective we were very clear. He knows he has to be better at shortstop," Dombrowski said. "And I told him that it's really mandatory that he's like that. He feels he can play, and if he plays shortstop like he did in '25, he can play shortstop. But if he plays it like he did in '26, he can't. And he totally understands that."
For now, the Phillies plan to keep Turner at shortstop and have hired a former Mets manager as infield coach to help him get there. Turner has through spring training to show the improvement is real.