Trea Turner enjoyed a successful tenure with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and although there was interest from the team in re-signing him, the probability never appeared favorable.
A widely held belief that Turner coveted a return to the East Coast seemingly came to fruition when he reportedly rejected more lucrative offers in favor of signing an 11-year, $300 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. The deal is said to include a full no-trade clause.
“I was lucky enough to have some good offers on the table, and it was a tough consideration going through it,” Turner said during his introductory press conference at Citizens Bank Park.
“Me and my wife wanted to weigh all options, try to take the process as serious as possible, because we look at it as a partnership between whatever organization we were going to pick and our family. We were looking at it as all-in for a long time.
“We sat down and talked for a long time. Money wasn’t the No. 1 option for us; obviously it plays a part, but we just pictured ourselves here. I pictured myself in this uniform. [My wife] pictured herself living here and having family come and visit.
“We pictured playing with Bryce (Harper), (Kyle) Schwarber, Kevin Long. It just seemed like a lot of things added up and pointed us in this direction, and we were excited about it. This place is fun to play. I watched a lot of the playoff games, and this place was rocking.
“Just a lot of things pointing in this direction, and we felt really comfortable and happy. … We were committed 100% to where we were going to sign. We weren’t going to try to do a short-term deal or try to get the most money. We were trying to build a family and be in a spot for a long time.”
While Turner is fully confident in his decision to sign with the Phillies, going through free agency for the first time in his career was not as expected.
“I didn’t enjoy it very much,” Turner admitted. “It’s a tough process. It’s hard on you and hard on your family.”
Trea Turner spoke with Bryce Harper before signing
Turner mentioned conversations with Bryce Harper helped provide him with needed information on the details of living in Philadelphia, though that came without much pressure to sign with the Phillies. Turner also noted his wife Kristen spoke often with Harper’s wife, Kayla, during the free agency process.
Back in June, Harper raved about Turner and said he was “excited” to see how free agency would unfold.
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