Of the seven Los Angeles Dodgers who became free agents after the team won the World Series, the general consensus was Justin Turner being viewed as the most likely to re-sign.
Although that was the widely-held expectation, months would pass before Turner and the Dodgers came to terms on a reported two-year contract that includes a team option for the 2023 season. Turner announced the news with a video on Instagram, which garnered plenty of positive responses.
During the latest episode of the “Holding Kourt” podcast, Turner revealed he was driving to Arizona when an agreement was reached with the Dodgers, and he hurried to exit the freeway in order to safely post the news on social media.
Turner explained his desire was to be first to report it because of the appreciation he felt from Dodgers fans throughout the process, whom he additionally gave credit to for re-signing:
“I’m glad I announced it. Not just because I wanted to be first … but I had so many Dodger fans reaching out to me every single day like, ‘Announce it. Announce it. When are you coming back? When are you coming back?’ Obviously the Dodgers and the fans have a huge piece of my heart. I was hoping it would all work out. … I was so excited and I couldn’t wait to announce it.
“Obviously I’m very excited. I think the Dodger fans have had such a huge role in this. I mean, my social media, literally every day of the entire offseason, was, ‘Sign back. Sign back. When are you going to sign back? We love you. Don’t know what it’s going to be like without you.’ I really do feel like that overwhelming presence and support kind of helped get it done, so I’ve got to say thank you to the Dodger fans and I couldn’t be more happy to be back in Dodger Blue.”
Turner has become a beloved figure not only in the Dodgers clubhouse, but the community as well. He and Kourtney Turner are involved in several initiatives in Southern California through their Justin Turner Foundation, and remain committed to holding its sixth annual golf tournament.
Should the Dodgers pick up their option on Turner, he will have played 10 seasons with the organization.
Brewers made two contract offers to Turner
In addition to the Dodgers being linked to Turner throughout the offseason, so too were the Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets and Toronto Blue Jays at various stages of the winter.
The Brewers reportedly made two- and three-year contract offers to Turner, and are believed to have been one of the finalists he considered signing with.
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