Justin Turner Rumors: NL Central Team Could Rise to Top in Sweepstakes for Former Dodger
Former Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner recently turned down his club option for next season with the Boston Red Sox, and he will now be a free agent for the second consecutive season. Any club would welcome Turner into their locker room due to his leadership skills, and his ability to help teams stay afloat.
While the Red Sox didn’t win, Turner was one of the more popular guys in the clubhouse. He likely wants to join a team that could contend for a World Series, especially at this stage in his career.
Turner is mainly a designated hitter at this point, and he still showed great skill with the bat last season. He hit .276 with 23 home runs and 96 runs batted in. Turner also had an OPS of .800 for the season.
There is some chance of him returning to the Dodgers this season, especially if the team can’t land two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani. However, it remains an unlikely scenario at this point, and he is being linked to one NL Central team.
The Chicago Cubs make sense as a landing spot for Turner, especially now that they signed Craig Counsell to be their next manager. Chicago wants to contend next season after almost reaching the playoffs this past year, and Turner could be one of the missing pieces to them being contenders.
Turner has already played for some of the biggest franchises in the game, so adding the Cubs to the list could be cool for him. His bat would be welcomed in Chicago, especially if they were to lose some of their big free agents this winter.
His calm approach could help the Cubs grow as a franchise, and maybe they reach the postseason with his leadership on the team. This would be a good move for both sides, and Turner could likely get a two-year deal from Chicago here.
It remains to be seen what will happen with Turner, and while fans may want him to return to the Dodgers, it may not be the best outcome for LA.
Photo Credit: Peter Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Have you subscribed to our YouTube Channel yet? Subscribe and hit that notification bell to stay up to date on all the latest Dodgers news, rumors, interviews, live streams, and more!
