The Philadelphia Phillies were eliminated in the National League Wild Card Series this season, and Trea Turner's struggles were a major headline throughout the season.
As a result of Turner's struggles, the Phillies are reportedly "eyeing" Ha-Seong Kim, per NBC Sports Philadelphia's Jim Salisbury.
Turner is signed to a $300 million deal, so there is an expectation for him to not only perform, but to perform like a star. However, he posted a minus-10 outs above average and posted a .675 OPS. Dave Dombrowski has already noted that he spoke with Turner and it has been made clear that Turner needs to perform better if he wants to remain at shortstop.
"He did not have a good year," Dombrowski told reporters after the season ended. "He needs to fix things with his swing. He knows he has to be better at shortstop. I told him that it's really mandatory that he's like that. He feels that he can play and if he plays shortstop as he did in 2025, then he can play shortstop. If he plays it as he did in 2026, he can't. He totally understands that. We've already given him some information ourselves that we think can be helpful."
The defense was an issue for Turner for sure, but the offense was not great either. However, there seems to be more belief that he can get back on track as a hitter. Dombrowski also noted that he discussed scenarios with Turner that involved him not playing shortstop if he could not clean up his defense.
Kim is not going to be a real offensive upgrade over Turner if he plays like he did last year. He signed a one-year deal with the Braves in the offseason, but missed most of the season after suffering an offseason injury. He did not hit well when he was on the field, but his defense was solid.
"I said, 'Okay, let's go through the different scenarios if you're not playing well at shortstop in spring training,'" Dombrowski added. "We do have a couple of young players coming. Will they both be ready? I do not know that. I don't know what other additions we may make this winter time. He is very willing to do, if he doesn't play shortstop, what is best for the Philadelphia Phillies organization. That's how we left it with him, and he's determined to show us he can play it. I told him, 'You have to show it. You cannot play shortstop like you did defensively in 2026, going into 2027."
Signing Kim would not be a signal to Turner that his job as the starting shortstop is in immediate danger. However, it would be an insurance policy if Turner does need to change positions because of poor defense.