A new Justin Turner rumor today may reunite him with his former team. No, not the Los Angeles Dodgers, although they’re still very much in contention. The latest rumblings have the New York Mets showing interest in the veteran infielder.
Turner was a Met from 2010-2013, right before he signed with the Dodgers. There’s only a couple of days until Spring Training starts, so Turner can possibly still be a free agent once camp begins. Currently, the Dodgers will have pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 17 with the full first squad workout on Feb 23.
With Trevor Bauer choosing the Dodgers over the Mets, New York may want to stick it to the Dodgers, and what better way is there than signing Turner? Per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the two sides are far apart on the number of years and amount of money.
Turner was also drawing interest from the Brewers, as they looked to ramp up their infield depth. The Blue jays were also reported to have shown interest. Either way, it might be safe to say that a decision should come soon.
The Dodgers also lost another free agent, as left-handed reliever Jake McGee signed with the San Francisco Giants on a two-year deal worth $7 million. McGee was released just before the 2020 season by the Rockies, later signing with the Dodgers. The 34-year-old veteran became a valuable asset in the bullpen down the stretch of the season and pitched well for the most part. Best of luck to McGee in his future endeavors.
MLB just announced the new health and safety protocols for 2021, and unfortunately, the universal designated hitter will not be returning. However, that may be good news for people who enjoy the “pitchers who rake” movement. The universal DH definitely helped the Dodgers ease and rotate players in and out of the daily lineups. Turner even saw significant time there. Nevertheless, it shouldn’t rule out a JT return.
Other 2020 rules will stay in place. Included are the seven-inning doubleheaders and automatic baserunners in extra innings. Coincidentally, Dodgers infielder Edwin Rios was the first player in league history to hit a leadoff two-run homer.
There will also be wearable contract tracing devices and face mask enforcement officers. The active roster will start at 26 players and then expand to 28 in September.
It has been quite an offseason, and now we are only a few days away from Spring Training. Still, several big questions remain unanswered for the Dodgers.
Think Blue Planning Committee 
Hope JT is still in the picture. And personally glad we get one more year of traditional baseball. Pitchers dont rake, but it’s better than the ‘No Strategy League’.
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Hard to believe the first workout is scheduled for two weeks from today. I wonder what’s going through Rios’ head right now?
Maybe he’ll share third base time with JT if he returns and get a little time at first to spell Muncy every so often.
Maybe he’ll be the everyday third baseman if JT doesn’t come back.
Maybe AF will sign someone else to platoon with him at third.
Maybe he’ll be included in a trade for someone like Suarez or Chapman or Bryant.
I guess those kinds of questions affect every player differently. From what I’ve heard of Edwin, he’ll just do his thing and not worry about something he has no control over. Things will become a little more clear in the next couple of weeks.
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Dodgers showing interest in the Marlins Garrett Cooper, who might be expendable because Miami signed Adam Duvall. Cooper plays 1B and the outfield.
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Cooper’s numbers look promising. He is 30 under contract or arbitration for a few years. He Hits left-handed pitching impressively.
Do not think losing McGee is a huge loss. Always concerned about guys with just one pitch although his fastball was effective.
It would be great for JT to re-sign but if he can get more than two years from the Mets he should go for it. Dodgers will survive.
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Turner has no leverage. He is slowing down, has some injury issues, and is a aging 36 year old 3rd baseman. Rios is going to be 27, has much more power, and has worked hard on his defense. If Rios was not there, I would say they have to sign JT. But they really do not. He is a valued member of the team more for his leadership than his production lately.
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I agree. Rios’s numbers are impressive. He needs at-bats to realize his potential. Rios has demonstrated in spring training and in MLB games, he can hit for contact and power. He worked hard on his defense and has improved. Reports are he has a strong work ethic and a positive personality. There are players coming up fast Hoese and Vargas. The Dodgers must play Rios to see if he can emerge as a strong contributing 3rd baseman. If so perhaps Hoese becomes trade bait in the future.
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I guess I’m the outlier here. I am not ready to start the season with Rios at third and Lux at second. They could both be All Stars this year or be in OKC by June.
We have an option at second (CT3 and even Muncy) but no good alternatives at third. Muncy is not a good third baseman and for whatever reason they don’t like to play Taylor there either.
We need to get ourselves a right handed hitting third baseman, either to share time with Rios or to take over if he falters completely. My first choice would still be JT because although he has had injury issues he is still a very productive player and we wouldn’t have to trade players to get him.
And one last thing Bear, you can’t refer to anyone as “an aging 36 year old” if you are more than twice his age (as we both are). I’ll thank you to refer to him as the “slightly slowing up, but still youthful” 3rd baseman. Thank you.
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Like it! Yes, speak kindly of the aged as that is US!
If you are a team built to use the Farm System. Which despite the Bauer signing the Dodgers are. Then at some point, you must take a leap of faith and believe your coaches and use your young players. I am guessing that is where the Dodgers are on Rios and why they are reportedly taking a hard line on contract length with Turner. All of the stats show JT is slowing. It is inevitable. Baseball is a fast-twitch reaction game. Rios’s numbers in limited sampling are very impressive. Let’s see how this plays out. It is interesting…
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