Like the 29 other MLB teams, the Toronto Blue Jays are wondering what’s next for them in free agency.
With the market officially open, gargantuan figures are about to be delivered over the next few weeks to the league’s top available players.
For one former Blue Jay who also happens to be a two-time All-Star, he’s hoping to just land any contract at all.
Justin Turner, who is attending the MLB’s GM meetings in Las Vegas this week, “would love to keep playing,” as per the New York Post’s Jon Heyman.
In 89 games with the Blue Jays, the 40-year-old hit .254 with 76 hits, six home runs, 31 RBIs, and 37 runs scored in 2024.
Turner was traded away from Toronto to the Seattle Mariners midway through the 2024 season for minor league outfielding prospect RJ Schreck. This past year, he suited up for 80 games with the Chicago Cubs, playing as a designated hitter, first baseman, and third baseman. The Cubs had the option to pick up the second year on his contract, but opted to let him go to free agency.
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Will the Blue Jays make a run for Turner?
Before he was ever in the Toronto organization, he was best known for being a top slugger for their newfound rival, winning a World Series in 2020 as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he spent nine seasons and played 1075 games.
Turner’s actually played for seven major league organizations, also having stops with the New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, and Baltimore Orioles along the way.
Given that the team’s first priority seems to be to sign Bo Bichette again, Turner probably isn’t too high on their list. With World Series aspirations, a player like Turner at age 40 is far from a sure thing, and likely too risky to gamble on early season. If he were to find his way back to Toronto, the most likely avenue is probably via a midseason trade after signing elsewhere.