The Blue Jays and veteran infielder Justin Turner are in agreement on a one-year deal for the 2024 season, reports MLB Network’s Jon Morosi. Turner is represented by Vayner Sports.
Turner turned 39 in November but certainly wasn’t showing signs of his age in 2023, when he slashed .276/.345/.455 with 23 home runs, an 8.1% walk rate and a 17.6% strikeout rate with the Red Sox. By measure of wRC+, he was about 14% better than league-average at the plate — his incredible tenth consecutive season being at least 14% above par with the bat. He was one of the top remaining corner infield and designated hitter options and will install a “professional hitter” into the Toronto lineup, and he’s generally revered for his leadership and clubhouse presence as well.
The consistency Turner brings to the plate is rather remarkable. He hasn’t batted lower than .276, posted an OBP lower than .339 or slugged less than .438 in any of the past ten seasons since establishing himself as a regular with the Dodgers in 2014. Overall, he’s a .293/.371/.486 hitter in that time. He’s averaged 24 home runs and 35 doubles per 162 games played over that decade-long span.
More to come…