Who's the Villain in Contract Saga, the Dodgers or Justin Turner?
Perhaps "villain" is too strong a word. So let's go with "bonehead" instead.
We’re a week from Spring Training and the defending champion Dodgers have a hole at third base. And it’s not a good look, especially given that the most recent visual of the guy who last held the position was the one above. Mask-less, COVID-infected Justin Turner.
Fine, perhaps “villain” is the wrong word for the longtime fan favorite and favorite son, who patrolled the Chavez Ravine hot corner for the better part of seven seasons. But “bonehead” certainly applies. If I may speak for the fanbase this one time, I believe it’s correct to say that Turner is mostly forgiven in Dodger circles for his World Series celebration miscalculation. But it seems to me that he’s miscalculated once more, in his quest for one final payday before hanging ‘em up. And in that he is a bonehead.
He’s 36 years old, spends a chunk of time on the injured list with a yearly hamstring, which might be avoided with smarter baserunning, and is at risk of a finger, hand or wrist injury in almost every at bat he takes. He may think he gave his hometown club a discount when he signed a four-year, $64 million contract on December 23, 2016, but in actuality he didn’t. Turner got what the market rate. The market in Los Angeles, anyway, based on the Dodgers’ payroll concerns at the time.
Those concerns are different now, and the idea of a four-year contract for this particular player at this point in time is folly. No doubt the Dodgers leaked the four-year-contract rumor and that’s on them, but Turner hasn’t distinguished himself since, or his agents haven’t. It doesn’t matter which. They overplayed their hand, which is why Turner may end up in Wisconsin to finish out his career. A lot of fun that’ll be.
After hoping for a longer pact for most of the offseason, 40-year-old wonder Nelson Cruz signed a one-year deal to return to Minnesota last week, for $13 million. After DHing to the tune of .308/.394/.626, with 57 home runs and 141 RBIs in his 637 at bats as a Twin the past two seasons. He signed a one-year deal for $12 million the winter before that.
It’s not a perfect comparison, but it’s good enough. If Cruz gets $13 mil and $12 mil to produce like he has in back-to-back contract negotiations, Turner can get something in the same neighborhood for two years plus a club option, which could guarantee him $24 to $28 mil. It’s not an insulting figure. It’s what he’s worth to the Dodgers on February 9, 2021. He should’ve signed already — possibly for more money — and he ought to sign right now, today. Unless he wants L.A.’s last memory of him to be prancing around Globe Life Field without a care in the world, when all he had to do was wear a mask and keep his distance for 20 minutes. Everyone would’ve understood.
You’re not Sandy Koufax (who at 30-years-old the year before won the Cy Young Award, going 26-8, with a 2.08 earned run average and 382 strikeouts in 335 innings, only to top it off with a World Series MVP, pitching Game 7 on two day’s rest) or Don Drysdale (29 years, 42 starts, 2.77 and 308 1/3) unsuccessfully holding out for a combined $1 million for three years in 1966. You’re 36-year-old Justin Turner, great and clutch as you are, appearing in more than 135 games once in your career five years ago, who’s likely been offered $12 or $13 mil for a year and twice that number for two.
Enough already. Sign the damn contract!
Baseball Photos of the Day
Paid subscribers get seven of these baseball photos per week, 365 per year; sometimes two or three in one particular issue, sometimes more or less than that, but always adding up to one per day. On this day, I thought I’d treat you to photos of players that have something in common with Mr. Turner: they’re all World Series winning third basemen. And yes, I realize that the first two will be painful to fans of a certain age.
Brooks Robinson, 1966 World Series.
Graig Nettles, 1978 World Series.
Jim Gilliam, Don Drysdale and John Roseboro, 1965 World Series.
Media Savvy:
Guaranteed to bring tears to a Dodger fan’s eyes, here is Joc Pederson’s farewell-to-L.A., with a lovely tribute to Tommy Lasorda, at The Players Tribune.
And a fine piece about Don Sutton by my friend, Steven Goldman, originally published at Baseball Prospectus.
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And remember, glove conquers all.
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