According to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, Justin Turner has agreed to a one-year, $6 million contract with the Chicago Cubs, his seventh MLB team. Turner, a two-time All-Star, rose to prominence with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the mid-to-late 2010s, earning MVP votes in three seasons.
Cubs Sign Justin Turner
Turner joins the Cubs for the 17th season of his major league career. 40-year-olds rarely find success in the majors. Turner, on the other hand, will attempt to extend his career following a successful season with the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners.
In 2024, the veteran batted.259/.354/.383 (114 OPS+), with 11 home runs and 24 doubles. One promising part of these figures is an excellent approach at the plate. Turner has spent his entire career working the count rather than chasing pitches out of the zone. Last season, he continued to walk (10.9 BB%) and strike out (17.6 K%) at high rates.
Unfortunately, 2024 witnessed another year of Turner’s deterioration in slugging and contact quality measures. 2024 marks the first season in which he slugged under .400 (.383) since before he broke out with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014. Furthermore, his 11 home runs are his poorest total in a full season since 2014.
Furthermore, underlying numbers show that Turner cannot explain his decrease on bad luck or ballpark misfortune. Turner has seen a gradual reduction in indicators like as Average Exit Velocity, Barrel%, and Hard-Hit% during the last three years. Turner’s offensive potential appears to be dropping based on these measurements.
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After spending the majority of his career at third base, Turner became a primarily designated hitter after 49 games on the field. Mooney speculated that Turner could be teamed with first baseman Michael Busch on the right side of the diamond. Turner may potentially earn more at-bats as Chicago’s designated hitter.
