Philadelphia Phillies’ Trea Turner is in the middle of a multiyear contract with the Phillies. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
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Be bold, Phillies. But this bold idea coming in from former general manager Ruben Amaro would shake the foundation of Citizens Bank Park.
Amaro recently got the rumor-mill swirling when he suggested that the Phils could trade one of their big no-trade-clause contracts as part of their winter plans. Well, there are only three of those sort of deals on the team and they belong to Bryce Harper, Trea Turner and Aaron Nola. And quick sidebar: No team’s trading for Nola’s contract, so is Amaro hinting that Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski may move either Harper or Turner this winter?
“You may see one of the big contracts moved,” Amaro said while discussing the team’s upcoming offseason on 94 WIP. “I’m not saying who. And I know there are a lot of no-trade clauses. But you may see one of those big contracts get moved somehow, someway.”
Cohost Devan Kaney pressed Amaro, asking if he’s alluding to “a Trea Turner-type contract.” He replied, “I’m just telling you the big contracts, that’s all I’ll say. I have a feeling that they may be exploring that. If you want to make a paradigm shift in your organization and do some different things, you never know.”
Trading Harper or Turner wouldn’t be a paradigm shift; it would be a team-altering move that would impact the franchise for years to come. Harper has six years left on his 13-year, $330 million contract. Turner has eight years remaining on his 11-year, $300 million deal.
A day later, Amaro clarified his radical proposal — but only just a little — on The Phillies Show that dropped Wednesday, saying he was merely offering his opinion. “I just opined, and it is the duty of the general manager to explore all possibilities,” Amaro said. “And I just have a feeling that Dave Dombrowski will keep his mind open on everything.”
Cohost Jim Salisbury said he believes Phillies managing partner John Middleton wants Harper to enter the Hall of Fame as a Phillie one day, to which Amaro replied, “Maybe so. But it doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the right thing.”
Amaro, who was the Phillies’ GM from Nov. 2008 to Sept. 2015, added that the odds of trading a Harper-type contract “is probably very low.” However, Amaro threw it out, putting the seed in Phillies fans’ mind that the team may consider making such a colossal deal. But realistically, we all know it’s a long shot.
