The Dodgers have been pretty much silent so far this offseason. They’ve suffered a ton of losses — most notably with Trea Turner, Tyler Anderson and Cody Bellinger, among others — and very minimal gain. Outside of bringing back Clayton Kershaw, there hasn’t really been anything to write home about.
One big free agent still on the market is longtime Dodger Justin Turner. At 38-years-old, Turner is definitely starting to decline. He struggled immensely in the NLDS, going two for 13 (.154) with three strikeouts — but to be fair, nobody on the Dodgers looked very good that series.
As of now he remains a free agent, with a few suitors and an offer reportedly on the table from the Marlins. However, at the Winter Meetings, FOX Sports’ Pedro Moura told dodgersnation.com that he expects Turner to re-sign with the Dodgers.
“I think Justin Turner’s like the rare exception,” Moura said in regards to a player re-joining their previous team after hitting free agency. “Whenever a player reaches free agency, you’re always going to bet on them leaving versus staying. But he, and this has been the case now twice, he is the exception. I think he’s still more likely to return to Los Angeles than he is to leave. Especially at this advanced age, he just turned 38. I’m not saying it’s a 100% guarantee. I think there will be some other teams interested.”
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Moura thinks a big reason for Turner re-signing is the fact that the Dodgers have figured out how to best keep him healthy and fresh over the course of a long season.
“I think at this point, the Dodgers understand how to utilize him, and he appreciates that,” Moura said. “And I think the ability to play him 50 or 60 or 70 games at third base, and then mostly at DH or something like that, makes a lot of sense. And the Dodgers are equipped to do that with Muncy and his flexibility. So it’s just a natural pairing forged because they’ve been pairing for a long time.”
Dodger fans have appeared to be split on whether or not to re-sign JT this offseason. It would be very weird not to have him on the roster, but on the other hand, it may be time to allow the next wave of young players to get their shot. It doesn’t seem like Turner is rushing into a decision, so we’ll wait to hear more about a potential offer on the table from the Dodgers this offseason.
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