In the time after the Los Angeles Dodgers suffered a surprising defeat to the San Diego Padres in the National League Division Series, Justin Turner was among the players to take accountability for the early postseason exit in a message to fans.
The Dodgers went 14-5 against the Padres during the 2022 regular season, never losing any of their head-to-head series, much less consecutive games. They opened the NLDS with a win in Game 1, only for three straight losses to follow.
During an appearance on “Roggin and Rodney,” Turner said the disappointing result will remain on the Dodgers’ minds for a while and it served as another reminder of how challenging the postseason can be, via AM 570 L.A. Sports Radio:
“This is one we’re going to think about for a long time. Obviously, you have the season that we had with 111 wins and the team that we had, you don’t anticipate that first-round exit. But it’s easy to sit and say, ‘That’s baseball. That’s the way it goes. The game is not played on paper.’ But that doesn’t make it feel any better.”
Despite overcoming a slow start to the season on a personal level, Turner was part of a Dodgers lineup that went cold at the plate during the NLDS and at one point the group was mired in an 0-for-20 drought with runners in scoring position.
Turner has reached the playoffs in each of his nine seasons with the Dodgers, with eight of those coming as NL West champions and including three pennants and one World Series title.
That the Dodgers set a franchise record with 111 wins this year before getting eliminated in the NLDS didn’t change Turner’s feeling of disappointment.
“They all suck,” he said after Game 4. “Obviously the goal is to win a championship. To fall short of that in any round, it doesn’t matter.”
Justin Turner contract outlook
The Dodgers hold a $16 million team option on Turner for the 2023 season. Should they decline, it entails paying a $2 million buyout and Turner becoming a free agent.
He recently said there has not been any indication from the Dodgers on their decision. The team has up to five days after the World Series concludes to decline or exercise Turner’s contract option.
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