Justin Turner signs a one-year contract with the Blue Jays

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If they dip into the third base market, led by old friend Matt Chapman , Turner will slide into more DH reps and assign Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to first base, a role similar to Brandon Belt's from a year ago. text “”},{“__typename”:”:OEmbed”,”html”:”“”, “providerName”: “MLB”, “providerUrl”: null, “thumbnail_url”: null, “type”: “oembed”, “width”: 425, “contentType”: “rich”}, {“__typename” :”Markdown”,”content”:”Turner would be a clear downgrade from Chapman defensively at the hot corner — almost anyone on the planet is — and Isiah Keener-Faleeva is a skilled defender, so it would be surprising to see the Blue Jays roll out the old-timer The 39-year-old regularly plays at third base due to his focus on defense.”,”type”:text”},{“__typename”: “Video”,”contentDate”: “2023-06-17T00:15″ :33.489Z”,”preferredPlaybackScenarioURL ({\”preferredPlaybacks\”:\”mp4AvcPlayback\”})”:https://mlb-cuts-diamond.mlb.com/FORGE/2023/2023-06/15/157ad969-6a8ba74f-0096fb26-csvm-diamondx64 -asset_1280x720_59_4000K.mp4″, “type”: “video”, “description”: “Justin Turner smashes a grand slam into center field for his second homer of the game to give Boston a 10-1 lead over the Yankees in the third inning”, “displayAsVideoGif”: false,”duration”: “00:00:26″,”slug”: “matt-krook-in-play-run-s-to-justin-turner” “,”tags”:[{“__typename”:”InternalTag”,”slug”:”season-2023″,”title”:”Season 2023″,”type”:”season”},{“__typename”:”GameTag”},{“__typename”:”PersonTag”,”slug”:”playerid-457759″,”title”:”Justin Turner”,”person”:{“__ref”:”Person:457759″},”type”:”player”},{“__typename”:”TeamTag”,”slug”:”teamid-111″,”title”:”Boston Red Sox”,”team”:{“__ref”:”Team:111″},”type”:”team”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”hitting”,”title”:”hitting”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”highlight”,”title”:”highlight”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”in-game-highlight”,”title”:”in-game highlight”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”game-action-tracking”,”title”:”game action tracking”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”grand-slam”,”title”:”grand slam”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”home-run”,”title”:”home run”,”type”:”taxonomy”},{“__typename”:”TaxonomyTag”,”slug”:”imagen-feed”,”title”:”Imagen feed”,”type”:”taxonomy”}]”thumbnail”:{“__typename”: “Thumbnail”, “templateUrl”: “https://img.mlbstatic.com/mlb-images/image/upload/{formatInstructions}/mlb/bvuezufuibkilosgkonv”},”title” : “Justin Turner's grand slam”, “relativeSiteUrl”: “/video/matt-krook-in-play-run-s-to-justin-turner”},{“__typename”: “Markdown”, “content”: ” “At the plate, Turner is still capable, which is why the Blue Jays were drawn to him. With the Red Sox last season, Turner hit .276 with 23 home runs and an .800 OPS, lining him up well to replace Belt's production. “He also has an on-base percentage of .352 over the past three seasons combined, which is another Belt strength and another skill this lineup needed more of. If the power bats are going to bounce back — namely Guerrero — they're going to need someone to take the lead.” \n\nThe element of experience cannot be overstated either. Bechet has developed into a thoughtful young leader, fully aware of what his team and club need. This is not a young team by any means, but there is still a need for leadership and Turner brings with him 15 years of MLB experience comes to town. He also excelled in the postseason, batting .270 with 13 home runs and an .830 OPS over 86 career games. 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January 30, 2024

TORONTO – The Blue Jays signed Justin Turner to a one-year, $13 million deal on Tuesday, bringing one of baseball's most reliable outfielders to Toronto.

The contract includes $1.5 million in roster and performance bonuses, a source told John Paul Morosi of MLB.com.

“Justin Turner has proven himself not only as an exceptional player on the field, but also as an exemplary leader in the clubhouse,” Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said in a statement. “Winning attributes are admirable. Additionally, he and Courtney's commitment to philanthropy is equally inspiring and aligns with our team's values. We couldn't be more excited about the impact Justin will have on our franchise on and off the field.”

The need for a veteran bat was clear, and that belief was shared by some of Toronto's key players, including Bo Bichette. Speaking recently on 590 The FAN's “Blair & Barker” show, Bichette highlighted Turner as someone he would like to play alongside when he talked about how this team can improve.

“I believe that just as players strive to be the best they can be and strive to win a World Series, that should be the case for the entire organization,” Bichette said. “There are great players in JT – Justin Turner – and JD Martinez. Those two guys that come to my mind are batsmen who can help not only on the field but off the field as well.

The Blue Jays are betting that Turner, 39, has another strong season left in the tank after seeing him in the division with the Red Sox one year ago. Turner's OPS has dipped below .800 just once in the last decade, dating back to his surprise breakout with the Dodgers, but his defensive fit is where this gets interesting in Toronto.

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Turner played just seven games at third base in 2023, but that's because he was on the same roster as Rafael Devers. Besides his 98 DH days, the Red Sox found time for Turner at first base (35 starts), and he even covered some second base (four starts) while they struggled with injuries.

With Justin Turner #BlueJays The assortment can take many forms. One:

1. George Springer, Radio Frequency
2. Beau Bichette, SS
3. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B
4. Justin Turner, D
5. Schneider/Biggio, 2b
6. Janssen/Kirk, C
7. Dolton Varsho, L.F
8. Isaiah Keener-Faleeva, 3b
9. Kevin Kiermaier, midfielder

– Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) January 30, 2024

His fit in Toronto could be similar: a little bit of everything.

A lot of this depends on what the Blue Jays do next, since this lineup still needs another legitimate bat. If the Blue Jays fall back into the DH market, led by Martinez and Jorge Soler, that will require Turner to play the outfield regularly. If they dip into the third base market, led by old friend Matt Chapman, Turner will slide into more DH reps and assign Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to first base, a role similar to Brandon Belt's from a year ago.

Turner would be a clear downgrade from Chapman defensively at the hot corner — almost anyone on the planet is — and Isiah Keener-Faleeva is a skilled defender, so it would be surprising to see the Blue Jays field the 39-year-old regularly at third base given their emphasis on defense.

At the plate, Turner still gets it, which is why the Blue Jays were drawn to him. With the Red Sox last season, Turner hit .276 with 23 home runs and an .800 OPS, lining him up nicely to replace Belt's production. He also has an on-base percentage of .352 over the past three seasons combined, which is another Belt strength and another skill this lineup needs more of. If the power bats are going to bounce back — Guerrero, that is — they're going to need someone to lead them.

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The experience element cannot be overstated either. Bechet has developed into a thoughtful young leader, fully aware of what his team and club need. This is not a young team by any means, but that leadership is still needed and Turner brings 15 years of MLB experience to town. He also excelled in the postseason, batting .270 with 13 home runs and an .830 OPS over 86 career games. He won the 2020 World Series as a member of the Dodgers, posting a 1.066 OPS with a pair of homers in the six against the Rays.

Much like Toronto's previous addition of Kiner-Falefa on a two-year, $15 million deal, this feels like another move that will gain more clarity once we have the full picture of Toronto's offseason. It's striking that on January 30, with spring training just over two weeks away, we don't have the full picture yet.