According to The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney, Justin Turner is in agreement on a one-year, $6 million deal with the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs will be Turner’s seventh MLB franchise. The two-time All-Star broke out as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers throughout the mid-to-late 2010s, earning MVP votes in three seasons.
Cubs Sign Justin Turner
Turner signs with the Cubs for the 17th season of his big league career. 40-year-olds don’t often have success in the majors. However, Turner will look to extend his career after a solid season split between the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners.
In 2024, the veteran hit .259/.354/.383 (114 OPS+) with 11 homers and 24 doubles. One encouraging aspect behind these numbers is a great approach at the plate. Throughout his career, Turner has excelled at working the count and not chasing pitches out of the zone. That continued last season, as did his ability to walk (10.9 BB%) and strikeout (17.6 K%) at great rates.
Unfortunately, 2024 marked another year of Turner’s decline in slugging and contact quality metrics. 2024 marked the first season in which he slugged under .400 (.383) since before he broke out with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014. Additionally, his 11 home runs represent his smallest homer total in a full season since 2014.
On top of this, underlying metrics indicate that Turner can not blame the decline on bad luck or ballpark misfortune. Turner has experienced a steady decline in metrics like Average Exit Velocity, Barrel%, and Hard-Hit% over the past few years. These metrics declining indicate that Turner’s offensive potential is trending downwards.
After spending much of his career at third base, Turner transitioned as a primary designated hitter with 49 games in the field. Mooney wrote that Turner may be paired with first baseman Michael Busch on the right side of the diamond. Turner could get additional at-bats as Chicago’s DH at best.
Main Photo: © Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
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