Dodgers News: Can Justin Turner Still Be A Dodger?

The Dodgers want Justin Turner. Justin Turner wants the Dodgers. But can a deal be worked out to bring LA’s favorite redhead back to Chavez Ravine for another season? It all comes down to the numbers. According to a recent article in the Boston Globe, the scuttlebutt is that Turner is looking for a three-year deal with the team. At 36, that might be a bit of a heavy lift for the Dodgers, especially given the options that the team has open to them.

There has been a lot of wild speculation this winter as to third base for the Dodgers. Names like Nolan Arenado, Kris Bryant, and DJ LeMahieu have all been tossed around in recent days. But still the deal that makes the most sense is just standing pat with Turner for a couple more years. Is his offensive production what it was a few years ago? No, but that’s to be expected as he ages out of his prime. His last few years have still been solid. In spite of a slow start in 2020, he still managed to hit .307 by the end of the year. The power numbers were off, to be sure, and he’ll probably never match the breakout year he had in 2014 ever again, but for my money the guy is still a top-ten third basemen in the game. And let’s face it: The Dude. Is. Clutch.

Plus, Turner is a great clubhouse guy, and he has come to define the grit and guts of this latest iteration of the Dodgers perfectly. Like Max Muncy on the other side of the diamond, the guy was essentially picked up off the scrapheap, and willed himself into a great player in Dodger blue. Add to that the fact Turner is a local guy from just down the 110 in Long Beach, and there are ample reasons for @redturn2 to come back in 2021 and beyond.

And seriously, do we really want our last memory of Turner to be that awkward trophy incident at Globe Life Field? As much as any player, he deserves to enjoy the accolades and cheers when the fans return to Dodger Stadium next spring. C’mon, guys. We need you to make this happen.