Philadelphia Phillies Could Change Their Superstar's Position in 'Next Few Years'

The Philadelphia Phillies could be eyeing a position change for one of their star players soon.

Oct 6, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Trea Turner (7) advances to first base in the first inning against the New York Mets during game two of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, doesn't like thinking there is a current championship window this organization has to operate within.

While the ages of multiple star players on this roster might suggest otherwise, there seems to be a long-term plan in place that will keep the Phillies in contention on a perennial basis.

A lot of that has to do with their farm system.

Even though the pipeline rankings don't suggest Philadelphia has an overall strong group of minor leaguers, their star prospects can go toe-to-toe with just about any team's top-of-the-line guys when it comes to what their ceilings might be.

Andrew Painter, one of the best pitching prospects in the sport, will debut this summer. He'll be the first of the Phillies' elite youngsters to get the call, with Aidan Miller and Justin Crawford potentially debuting at some point in 2026.

Miller is someone who a lot of people inside and outside the organization are keeping an eye on.

Philadelphia got a steal when he fell to them at the 27th pick of the 2023 draft, and in short order, he's already showcased the traits that had him in contention to be the top pick before he broke the hamate bone in his hand during his senior season of high school.

What's interesting about the development of Miller is that he was projected to take over third base during the latter stages of his minor league journey, but that has not happened thus far.

He's played 108 games at shortstop and none at third, and while he's only 20 years old and just reached Double-A for the first time this past campaign where he got into five contests, it seems like the Phillies could be changing their mind about what his position is going forward.

Of course, the elephant in the room is in regards to Trea Turner.

After the upcoming season, he'll still be under contract for eight more years, and at roughly $27.2 million in each of those campaigns, he's not going anywhere.

Miller could take over for Alec Bohm at third base when his club control runs out after the 2026 season, but Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer believes that position change is coming for Turner.

"And with Trea Turner likely to move from shortstop within the next few years, it's sensible to keep Miller where he is," he wrote.

So far, it's been a struggle for the high-priced Turner at shortstop.

He's been worth a staggering minus-nine Outs Above Average during his time in Philadelphia, something that is hard to stomach, especially as he continues to age.

Second base seems likely where he'll end up with Miller taking over at shortstop when it's time for him to make his Major League debut.

With Miller knocking on the door to make that a reality very soon, there's a chance Turner's defensive position is changed before before the period Lauber is suggesting.

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