Then came Tuesday. Former Mariners infielder Justin Turner reportedly agreed to a one-year, $6 million contract with the Chicago Cubs. This marks a short, yet impactful tenure in Seattle for the former World Series champion.
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Former Mariners everywhere! On Monday, Luis Urias landed in the AL West after signing a contract with the Athletics. Last week, reliever Kendall Graveman signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks, in what represented a need for the M’s.
Then came Tuesday. Former Mariners infielder Justin Turner reportedly agreed to a one-year, $6 million contract with the Chicago Cubs. This marks a short, yet impactful tenure in Seattle for the former World Series champion.
Turner’s career has been one of the better stories in the game. After failing with the Mets and Orioles, he found a tremendous amount of success with the Los Angeles Dodgers, earning two All-Star nods, three top-15 MVP voting finishes, and a 2020 World Series ring.
During the 2024 season, Turner spent the first half with the Blue Jays, hoping to assist in a World Series run, but come July, Toronto was too far out of the wild card spot, leading to his trade to the Mariners. The deadline was an impactful one for Dipoto, and Turner played a big role in Seattle, making a solid push for a playoff spot, although they came up short. Turner still hit .264/.363/.403 with five home runs and 24 RBI in just 48 games.
This pairing further emphasizes the issues with the Mariners offseason plan and lack of support from ownership. Turner, at age 39, still hit .259/.354/.383 with 11 home runs with solid walk rate (10.9%) and strikeout rates (17.6%) that Mariners fans would appreciate. His 126 wRC+ during his 48 games with Seattle trailed only Victor Robles and Luke Raley, proving Turner is an underrated bat that Dipoto should have made more of a priority if bigger signings or trades weren’t on the table