Blue Jays’ Justin Turner Calls Free Agency “Black Eye” On The League

During this oddly quiet off-season, Justin Turner took longer than expected to find a new home. He did, however, do far better than many other free agents—stars among them—who are still up in the air over a week into spring training—by signing with the Toronto Blue Jays on January 30.

Blue Jays’ Justin Turner Calls Free Agency “Black Eye” On The League

However, he recently used his position as one of the most well-liked players in the league to address the worries of other players who are dissatisfied with the way the signing process is currently going.

It’s just frustrating,” Turner said Monday, as position players reported to Blue Jays camp ahead of Tuesday’s first full-squad workout. “It’s frustrating, obviously, for the guys in the free agency class. It’s frustrating for a lot of teams around the league trying to figure out where some of these guys are going to go. It’s kind of a little bit of a black eye on baseball. You have all these guys that are all-star, Cy Young, batting title, Rookie of the Year guys on the free-agent market and they’re having a hard time finding a job. I don’t think it’s a good look.”

The current National League Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, Texas Rangers star Jordan Montgomery during the postseason, all-star Michael Lorenzen, former NL MVP Cody Bellinger, and, of course, Matt Chapman—who won a Gold Glove at third base with the Blue Jays last season—are among the dozens of players who have not signed contracts.

On January 31, Turner agreed to a one-year contract worth US$13 million with the Jays; this was not exactly an early conclusion to the process for the former Los Angeles Dodgers World Series champion.

“That’s above my pay grade, obviously, but I’d like to see everyone get signed as soon as possible,” Turner said. “I just don’t know how that would work. What happens if someone doesn’t get signed in that period? Are they just not allowed to play baseball any more. There’s a lot of unknowns.”

MLB should encourage or incentive teams to sign players early rather than defending cheapness or placing blame on players, even if they might not be able to force the issue. If teams are ready to sign players, perhaps they should be given competitive balance choices based on “to-be-determined” criteria. Something to get people interested and moving during the off-season.

When did Justin Turner make his MLB debut?

In 2023, Turner, 39, had 146 appearances for the Red Sox, batting. 276 with 23 home runs, 31 doubles, and 96 RBI. The Long Beach, California native made his Major League debut for the Orioles in 2009 after being picked by the Reds in the seventh round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft.

How much is Justin Turner’s contract worth?

The Toronto Blue Jays and veteran infielder Justin Turner reached an agreement on a $13 million, one-year contract that could pay him up to $14.5 million.

Who is the wife of Justin Turner?

In December 2017, Turner wed his longtime partner Kourtney Pogue.

 

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