The free agent market finally started to heat up on Monday, and the Philadelphia Phillies had the biggest catch of the day.
The defending National League champions agreed to terms with star shortstop and slugger Trea Turner on an 11-year, $300 million contract.
The 29-year-old hit .298 and popped 21 home runs while driving in 100 runs during the regular season with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
On Twitter, one Dodgers analyst expressed concern over the state of team following the departure of Turner, saying that the Dodgers are going to miss having him in the lineup and to add insult to injury, he will be joining a potential postseason foe for the Dodgers in the near future.
The Dodgers are going to really miss having Trea Turner. I don’t know how you fill the void in the lineup he leaves and it’s tough considering he’s going to a team that will be a direct rival of LA in the playoffs. This is a brutal loss whether LA fans want to admit it or not.
— Dusty Baker (@DustyBakerTV) December 5, 2022
How Turner Leaving Affects The Dodgers
The Dodgers are not doomed by any stretch.
Fortunately, they still have Max Muncy, Mookie Betts, Will Smith, Chris Taylor, and Freddie Freeman in their lineup.
But Turner was somewhat of a catalyst for the 111-win Dodgers, and to lose him creates a void at shortstop, which could be filled if the team chooses to target one of the remaining three shortstops on the market, those being Xander Bogaerts, Carlos Correa, and Dansby Swanson.
Still, losing the star shortstop does hurt the Dodgers in such a way that they are going to have to act swiftly in order to replace him.
The Winter Meetings will conclude tomorrow.
The Dodgers still have a solid team intact for 2023, but without Turner, they’ll have a void to fill at the shortstop position and in their lineup.
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