Justin Turner Rumors: Diamondbacks Join the List of Teams Interested in Former Dodger
Justin Turner’s 2023 option was declined by the Dodgers in October, but there remains mutual interest in a reunion between Turner and the team he’s spent the last nine years playing for. Throughout the offseason thus far, JT’s approach has basically been to wait patiently and see how things shake out with Los Angeles.
Turner’s patience probably has a limit, though, and other teams are jumping into the fray to let him know they’re interested in his services.
Dodgers, Diamondbacks and Marlins are among about a half dozen teams in on Justin Turner
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 9, 2022
Wow, three mystery teams! The option L.A. declined was for $16 million with a $2 million buyout, and with the way the free-agent market is playing out this offseason, it’s not crazy to see JT getting at least a $14 million offer from one of the other interested teams. It’s hard to see the Dodgers going that high at this point, which might mean JT will be faced with a choice between taking the most money or taking a hometown discount.
Turner struggled the first month or so of the 2022 season, but for the last three months he was one of the best hitters in baseball. A shin injury might have contributed to his complete ineffectiveness in the postseason, but those October struggles have left some questions about how effective he’ll be in 2023.
The Diamondbacks are an interesting addition to this pool of potential suitors. Josh Rojas was their primary third baseman last year, and while he put up a career year on offense, his 111 OPS+ was still lower than the 116 JT posted in a down year. Rojas is nearly ten years younger than Turner, but production is production.
Let’s hope Turner takes the hometown discount to stay in L.A. where he belongs.
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JT to the Diamondbacks makes no sense. They would sign him for $10m+ so they can push their win total to 79? They have virtually no chance of making the playoffs.
Gosh, making Kelley Jansen wait last year worked out really well didn’t it?
Kenley. I hate auto correct!
I still can’t fathom seeing JT in any uniform but Dodger Blue.
Let him go ! He’s over rated, over the hill, &
can’t run anymore.
Justin is a Dodger completely sign him now. He is respected and is a great person for the dodgers. He is a club house leader and he needs to stay as a dodger.Justin turner would not look good in another uniform. Dodgers keep him
Desperate times calls for desperate measures. If he’s a clubhouse leader, a captain, he did not show much to turn the series around against the Padres. No energy, no adjustments, and unproductive performance in critical situations. A real team leader will have the attitude of “ not on my watch “ when facing adversity. Sign him at a 1 yr. with incentives and see if he can lead the team to a WS championship. Then you can retire as a Dodger along with Kershaw and hand the reigns over to Mookie and Freddie.
Let Justin go and then replace the worthless manager with JT!
Justin Turner is a Dodger completely. To me he is the club house leader and can play third base better than any one. Keep him and give him a good salary. His home in in LA and his foundation is the best. Give Justin the right salary keep him