Why did veteran infielder Justin Turner (39, Boston Red Sox) reject the offer from the Los Angeles Dodgers and choose to go to Boston?
According to JP Hunstra, a reporter in charge of the Major League Baseball Los Angeles Dodgers, Turner said on the 7th (hereafter Korean time), “I received contract offers from a total of four clubs this offseason. Among them, the Dodgers were included,” he said, revealing the story behind his trip to Boston.
Turner left the Dodgers on the 19th of last month and transferred to Boston for 2 years and 22 million dollars (approximately 27.7 billion won). Last year, despite the aging curve, he had a good record of 128 games, batting average of 2.78, 13 home runs and 81 RBIs, but he failed to stay with the Dodgers and joined Boston, the American League East Division, who offered a two-year contract.
“The Dodgers also wanted me to stay and play in LA,” Turner said. I waited for my decision again,” he said. “But this is business. The Dodgers did the best they could, and I made the decisions I could. In conclusion, the stay did not happen,” he said.
The existence of Kike Hernandez, who ate a pot of rice with the Dodgers in the past, played a big role in Turner’s trip to Boston. MLB.com’s Boston reporter Ian Brown said, “Turner acknowledged that Hernandez played a big role in the process of moving to Boston. The part where he was able to work with his former colleague Hernandez again has a lot to do with moving to Boston.” 메이저놀이터
According to local sources, the terms of Turner’s contract include an annual salary of $8.3 million this year, a bonus option of $1 million, a player option of $13.4 million next year, and a $6.7 million buyout.
Born in 1984, Turner made his major league debut with the Baltimore Orioles in 2009 and played 14 seasons for the New York Mets and Dodgers. He did not stand out much until his days with the Mets, but he moved to his hometown team, the Dodgers, in 2014 and his career blossomed, earning the nickname “Turner Time.”
Turner has hit double-digit home runs in five consecutive seasons since 2015, was selected as an All-Star in 2017 and 2021, and shared the Dodgers’ first World Series championship in 32 years in 2020. Turner’s career record in the big leagues is a batting average of .289, 164 homers, 663 RBIs, and an OPS of .832 in 1393 games.