Dodgers sign third baseman Justin Turner for two years

It lasted almost the entire off-season, longer than anyone could have expected, but the Dodgers and Justin Turner agreed on Saturday on a two-year contract to keep the third baseman in Los Angeles four days before pitchers and catchers for the spring- training Wednesday reported.

The agreement concludes a three-and-a-half month deal between the two parties. The 36-year-old Turner struck a free agency to get a three- or four-year contract. The Dodgers committed a two-year offer and did not move because Turner tested the market for suitors. The Dodgers eventually won.

Turner’s return ensures that his last act as a Dodger will not spark a controversy the night the Dodgers won the World Series when he was informed during Game 6 of the World Series that he was positive for COVID-19, but while the field is on the field. postgame celebration anyway.

That would have been a strange end to an unforgettable Dodgers career. The Lakewood native jumped from one of the elite hitters in the majors in his first seven years at the club to a released reserve. He became a fan favorite for his production, the performances in October and his red appearance. He developed into a clubhouse and community leader. He is loved in Southern California.

But injuries have plagued Turner this past season. His mobility has decreased. The Dodgers consequently did not want to commit to up to three years. Turner has attracted attention from other clubs. The Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers, Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets, at one point or another, were interested in signing him.

Eventually, he decided to accept Dodgers’ offer and return to a series that helped him drive the season’s first championship in 32 years last season.

Turner arrived in Los Angeles in 2014 as an afterthought. He made his majors debut in 2009 at the age of 24. He was not a full-time major competition for another two years. He was never an everyday player in his three full seasons at the New York Mets before the club did not offer him in December 2013. According to him, according to arbitration, less than $ 1 million would be earned next season. The Mets decided he was not worth it.

Teams did not complain to Turner if he unexpectedly hit a free agency. He passed months without a deal until Tim Wallach, then Dodgers bench coach, saw Turner during an alumni match at Cal State Fullerton. The two talked. Turner soon signed a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training to make a childhood dream come true.

Turner got lost when he reported to Camelback Ranch; he is on his first day before being transferred to the minor team. He competed for a spot on the Premier League series that spring and claimed one, but as a bench player.

He earned playing time at home with a breakthrough season, while beating 0.340 with a .897 on-base-plus-slugging percentage in 322 plate appearances. The boom was fueled by a change he made in his final year with the Mets. By the middle of the 2015 season, he was the Dodgers’ everyday third baseman and did not fall off.

He finished ninth in the National League MVP poll in 2016. That winter, the Dodgers gave him a four-year, $ 64 million contract. He made his only All-Star squad, finished eighth in the MVP poll and became a post-season hero the following year when he belted out a starting home game in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs.

The homer came on the 29th anniversary of Kirk Gibson’s runaway sport in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series. Turner, a budding four-year-old Dodgers fan, watched it at his grandmother’s house.

Turner remained a consistent performer, even as persistent injuries increased and his mobility declined for the remainder of his four-year contract. He batted the Dodgers .302 with a .886 OPS and 139 OPS + during the regular season in seven years. The production was almost identical in the club’s seven post-season trips: .295 batting average and .899 OPS in 72 games.

A hamstring strain hampered Turner in 2020. He ended up on the list of injured for almost a month. He was limited to 42 of the Dodgers’ 60 games in the regular season. He never quite looked right, but he has already started 18 post-season games and scored three home games and six doubles in 78 posters.

However, he did not complete the Dodgers’ World Series run on the field. He was placed in quarantine at the end of Game 6 of the World Series at Globe Life Field in the Dodgers clubhouse after being informed during the seventh innings that he had tested positive for the coronavirus. He was removed from the game before the eighth innings.

Moments after the Dodgers secured the championship, word of Turner’s positive test appeared. Confusion arose minutes later when he appeared on the field during the team’s celebration for photos before removing the mask for the team photo. His decision sparked a stir and became a national story. The next morning, Major League Baseball announced that it was investigating the situation in a stern press release blaming Turner for the episode.

“Turner has been placed in isolation for the safety of those around him,” MLB said in the statement. “After the victory of Dodgers, however, it is clear that Turner has chosen to disregard the agreed joint protocols and the instructions regarding the safety and protection of others.

‘While a desire to celebrate is understandable, Turner’s decision to leave isolation and enter the field was wrong and endangered everyone he came in contact with. When MLB Security took up the case to be on the field with Turner, he emphatically refused to comply. ”

Turner did not comment publicly for another nine days when he, MLB and the Dodgers issued separate statements to bury the case. Turner apologized. MLB got the blame and said he would not be disciplined. The Dodgers describe the series as ‘ultimately regrettable’.

For months, the chance was that Turner would never play for the Dodgers again. It took longer than expected, but he’s a Dodger again, maybe for the rest of his career.