(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
The Toronto Blue Jays have tried to make a big splash all winter.
They pursued Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, among other top players, but came up empty-handed.
Then, they re-signed Kevin Kiermaier and brought in Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Yariel Rodriguez via free agency.
Still, having lost Matt Chapman, their lineup needed more punch.
They added that punch on Tuesday in the form of veteran 39-year-old thumper Justin Turner.
“Blue Jays, Justin Turner reportedly agree to a 1-year deal, per MLB.com’s @JonMorosi,” the league’s official site tweeted.
Fans, of course, weren’t indifferent to the news and reacted via Twitter.
Some of the reactions were positive:
good for the blue jays
— jerry (@JwWeby) January 30, 2024
Congrats to the team and to Justin!
— Clockwork (Ting dun) (@It_s_a_trap) January 30, 2024
Worth it for his leadership and special sauce.
— Binks (@BinkyBaxter1) January 30, 2024
Others were negative:
Jays miss out on Ohtani and replace him with a 40 year old DH.
Nice off – season @BlueJays
5 years behind the curve.
— THE PREMIUM (@gamblers_dream) January 30, 2024
And others were indifferent:
my face before this signing vs my fave after this signing pic.twitter.com/PKzhwY2bYW
— kin foweal (@_24kin) January 30, 2024
The key here is to understand that Turner shouldn’t be viewed as Ohtani’s replacement: he was never a Blue Jay, even though the team was among the finalists for his services.
He should be seen as Matt Chapman’s replacement, and that’s who he is.
Turner will alternate between third base and the DH spot and provide a more consistent offensive threat than Chapman.
In 146 games last year with the Boston Red Sox, Turner hit .276/.345/.455 with 31 doubles, 23 home runs, a .800 OPS, and 96 RBI.
He was as good as the Red Sox expected him to be.
However, he is now going to a direct AL East rival and an exciting project in the Blue Jays.
It’s unclear whether the Jays are done adding or will be looking for another piece, but this was a necessary and logical move since they needed to replace Chapman.
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