Justin Turner expresses desire to return to the Red Sox, wants team to make the playoffs in the coming years
During the 2023 season, Justin Turner was a bat the Boston Red Sox could rely on. Through 146 games played, he hit .276/.345/.455 with 23 home runs and 96 RBIs. He was just four home runs short of tying his career high of 27.
At the end of the season, Turner declined his $13.4 million player option in favor of a $6.7 million buyout. The move was expected, as he only left $6.7 million on the table to test the open market.
Despite this, Turner would love to return to Boston for the 2024 season. He believes the team is headed in the right direction and wants to be a part of their success in the future.
He spoke to the media about his desire to stay put:
"I would love top be back and be with the Sox" Turner stated, "...what I've heard from all these guys is how amazing this town is when you're making a playoff run. I want to be part of that."
Justin Turner clarified that he has received more interest from teams than he did as a free agent last year. If that is the case, the Red Sox must be aggressive if they want to re-sign him.
Justin Turner's offseason has been busy after declining his player option with the Boston Red Sox
Since declining his player option, Justin Turner has been contacted by five teams so far. These teams are the Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Angels, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Boston Red Sox.
That is a good number of teams for only a little over a week into the offseason. Turner has seen a rise in his value with a solid season this year.
Boston hired a new Chief Baseball Officer, Craig Breslow, to kick off the offseason. He and Turner spoke for an hour at Fenway Field about the latter's future.
After being hired, Breslow said he desires to give guys breaks and put them in the DH spot occasionally. This certainly does not play into Turner's plans. But the veteran has postseason experience, and you cannot understate his importance in the clubhouse.
Turner's future is unclear, but the ball seems to be in his court. Boston will have to match or be close to the offers these other teams will offer.