The market for Justin Turner is naturally pretty narrow, but the Milwaukee Brewers are apparently in the fray.
Even as he lingers available on the free agent market, it seems inevitable Justin Turner will land back with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Toronto Blue Jays have lingered as a possible suitor, though that probably changes with their signing of Marcus Semien on Tuesday, and on Monday a report suggested Turner was down to a final four teams he’s considering for 2021.
On Tuesday, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman revealed the Milwaukee Brewers as one of the two “mystery teams” who are in on Turner.
Turner is rumored to want a four-year deal, but a two-year deal is far more likely for the 36-year old. It’s not a question of what he can still do, as he hit .307 with an .860 OPS last season and followed by going 8-for-25 in the World Series. But the tail end of a four-year deal might look ugly.
Are the Brewers really a serious suitor for Justin Turner?
According to Spotrac, the Brewers have $70.7 million in committed payroll for 2021 right now. So they could add someone, but like many teams they’ve been mostly inactive this offseason. The only major league contract they’ve doled out to this point was to infielder Daniel Robertson, and the headline move they’ve made was to not pick up Ryan Braun’s option. They are, according to FanSided’s Robert Murray, still listening to trade offers for closer Josh Hader.
On a surface level, the only infielder the Brewers have that feels locked into a spot is Keston Hiura at second base. Luis Urias and Orlando Arcia would be the left side if Opening Day was today, and first base is a question mark. Turner could fit as an option at first base, with 39 career games there, but he’d likely push Urias off third base (30 games in 2020).
Turner probably wants to go where he can win another World Series. The Brewers don’t fit that bill this year, so they’ll have to make an outsized financial offer or meet his desire for a four-year deal to better their odds. A return to the Dodgers is still the most likely scenario for Turner, but the Brewers are a somewhat interesting suitor to add a little intrigue.