Of the remaining Los Angeles Dodgers free agents, Justin Turner has the longest standing ties to the organization. Having just completed his ninth season with the team, Turner finished behind only Clayton Kershaw for most years as a member of the Dodgers.
During the early days the offseason, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman identified Kershaw and Turner as being priorities for the Dodgers in free agency. Kershaw re-signed with the team shortly after on a one-year, $20 million contract.
While the Winter Meetings in San Diego were underway this week, it was reported the Miami Marlins had interest in Turner. They became the first team other than the Dodgers to publicly be linked to the 38-year-old.
According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the Dodgers and Marlins have now been joined by the Arizona Diamondbacks and other unnamed teams as having interest in signing Turner:
Dodgers, Diamondbacks and Marlins are among about a half dozen teams in on Justin Turner
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 9, 2022
Turner hit .278/.350/.438 with a 123 wRC+ this past season despite a slow start, and he remains one of the better all-around third basemen.
In recognition of his impact the field, Turner became the third Dodgers player to win the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award. It’s 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.
“This is a tremendous honor and a very special award. I think when you think about baseball and the history and all the great accolades that can be achieved on the field, this is one that stands out above all of them for me,” he said.
“Because it’s a way that my wife and I have the opportunity to give back in the community, to utilize our platform in a meaningful, positive way. To help lift people up who are in need and in times of pain, especially the last few years that we’ve been through with the pandemic as it hit the entire world very hard, but it was especially tough for Angelenos.
“And to be able to have this foundation, this resource to go through to have an impact and dive into impacting people’s lives and lifting them up and providing them with supplies, resources, anything that they need in tough times has been special to us.”
Justin Turner wants to retire with Dodgers
When recently discussing free agency and the future, Turner expressed a desire to re-sign and ultimately retire after playing for the Dodgers.
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