Los Angeles Dodgers’ Justin Turner left for 2 years, $ 34 million

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Third baseman Justin Turner is staying with the Los Angeles Dodgers, he announced on Twitter on Saturday.

Turner’s deal is for two years and $ 34 million guaranteed, and it includes a club option for a third year, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

Turner, 36, became a free agent when his four-year, $ 64 million contract expired after the Dodgers won the World Series in October. A member of the Dodgers since 2014, Turner is the team’s longest-serving player and third overall, behind Clayton Kershaw (2008) and Kenley Jansen (2010).

Turner has been a journeyman for the first half of his big league career. He was not offered by the New York Mets in December 2013, went unsigned for the next two months, and then accepted a minor league contract with the Dodgers. At 29, he began to establish himself as one of the game’s most productive third basemen.

Turner hit .297 / .378 / .508 from 2015 to 2019, racking up 105 homers, 147 doubles and 21.9 FanGraphs wins over substitution in 645 regular season games. He made an All-Star squad, finished in the top 10 in the National League MVP vote twice, and set the tone for the Dodgers’ hitting philosophy as the most consistent performer.

Along the way, Turner contributed several memorable playoff moments, including his home run against the Chicago Cubs in Game 2 of the 2017 NL Championship Series. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, he ranks first. in Dodgers playoff history for hits (79), home runs (12), runs (40) and runs batted (41).

His crowning glory finally came last season, when Turner – a longtime Dodgers fan who grew up in Lakewood, Calif., And identifies Kirk Gibson’s famous 1988 World Series home run as his earliest memory of baseball – helped run the franchise. at his first championship in over 30 years.

Turner posted a 1.066 OPS in six World Series games against the Tampa Bay Rays, but his career high point was tarnished after Major League Baseball informed the Dodgers at the end of the possible clincher Turner had. tested positive for COVID-19.

Turner, the Dodgers’ representative, was taken out to start the eighth inning of Game 6 and was not on the field to celebrate the final withdrawal. But he broke protocol and returned to the field to take photos with the World Series trophy and was seen around unmasked teammates, drawing anger from MLB officials and rampant criticism from everyone. the country. The MLB ultimately decided not to discipline him.

ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez contributed to this report.



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