Despite losing Corey Seager this offseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers still have one of the top shortstops in baseball in Trea Turner.
Turner may not be around long term though as he is in his final year or arbitration eligibility, which would allow him to become a free agent after the 2022 regular season.
Nevertheless, the Dodgers tendered him a contract prior to the MLB lockout to guarantee they have the dynamic All-Star for at least for one more year.
Turner and the Dodgers have since avoided arbitration with his agreeing to a one-year, $20 million contract, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today:
Welcome to the $20 million club, #Dodgers shortstop Trea Turner: $21 million.
One year from now when he hits free agency, he’ll be in the $300 million club
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) March 22, 2022
Turner was projected by MLB Trade Rumors to receive $19.8 million through arbitration.
The Dodgers also tendered contracts to Cody Bellinger, Caleb Ferguson and Julio Urias prior to the lockout. Bellinger and the Dodgers avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $17 million, while he was was projected to receive $16.1 million.
Urias and the Dodgers reportedly agreed to a one-year, $8 million contract on Tuesday, and Ferguson settled with the team for a reported $762,500 salary.
Turner is coming off the best full season of his career as he won the batting title and was named to the All-Star Game for the first time in his career. In 148 games, he hit .328/.375/.536 with 28 home runs, 107 runs scored, 77 RBIs, 32 stolen bases, a 142 wRC+ and 6.9 WAR.
The 28-year-old is a career .303/.358/.492 hitter with 103 home runs, 203 stolen bases, 485 runs scored, 334 RBIs, a 123 wRC+ and 24.1 WAR across 689 games played.
Turner open to contract extension with Dodgers
Prior to the 2021 season, the Dodgers made an attempt to lock up Seager long-term, but they were unable to reach an agreement and he shut negotiations down during the season to focus on baseball.
Now, the Dodgers could once again find themselves trying to come to terms with their superstar shortstop in the final year of his deal. But unlike last year, negotiations might continue into the season if they are unable to work out a deal in Spring Training as Turner is open to talking at any point.
It has often been reported that Turner would prefer to play on the East Coast, meaning his time in L.A. would be short-lived. However, Turner appears more open to remaining with the Dodgers than previous reports indicated.
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