The Phillies’ postseason run was sprinkled with reminders that no one had expected them to be there: Such was the subtext for every proclamation of a “team of destiny” or mention of their original playoff seed or description of how they started the year. But the fact remained that this was a very good team, and it had been deliberately built to be a good team, even if it took some time for that group of talent to flourish.
Philadelphia underscored that fact on Monday—by signing infielder Trea Turner, one of the biggest free agents on the market, to an 11-year, $300-million deal.