After nine years with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Justin Turner agreed to terms on a two-year contract with the Boston Red Sox, where he will presumably finish out his career.
Turner was originally signed by the Dodgers on a Minor League contract prior to the 2014 season after he was non-tendered by the New York Mets. Despite the low expectations, he became a two-time All-Star and a franchise leader, both in the clubhouse and in the community.
Turner’s work off the field was capped off following the 2022 season when he was named the Roberto Clemente Award winner, which is presented annually to the player who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.
Mookie Betts spent three seasons playing with Turner after the star right fielder was traded from the Red Sox to the Dodgers, and the pair helped lead the club to their 2020 World Series championship. With Turner now moving on to a new organization, Betts shared his best wishes for the Dodgers franchise legend, via Sports Central on CBSLA:
“I hate to see something like that. He’s so near and dear to everyone in L.A. I’m sure he’ll have his hands on stuff going on in L.A. I wish him nothing but the best, and he’s got to make sure he goes and gets a mink coat because it’s cold up there.”
Clayton Kershaw has been teammates with Turner for the entirety of the third baseman’s time in L.A. and he also shared a similar sentiment as Betts. Kershaw raved about his experience playing with Turner, his impact in the community and the confidence he instilled in the rest of the team, adding that they are going to miss him next season.
Turner hit .296/.375/.490 with 235 doubles, 156 home runs and 574 RBI across 1,075 games with the Dodgers. He also had another productive season in 2022 despite getting off to a slow start, which included setting a career-high with 36 doubles.
Justin Turner was recruited by Alex Cora and Red Sox players
Turner was drawing interest from around six teams but ultimately settled in Boston after he was recruited by manager Alex Cora and some of their players.
While the Red Sox players who were active in recruiting Turner haven’t been publicly named, it’s safe to assume one was former Dodgers teammate Kiké Hernández, and it’s likely Kenley Jansen got involved as well. Both players developed strong relationships with Turner during their time together in L.A.
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