One day after the JD Martinez Era officially came to a close, the Red Sox filled their designated hitter vacancy by signing veteran Justin Turner to a one-year deal with a player option for 2024.
Turner will earn $8.3 million for 2023, with a player option for $11.4 million, according to an industry source.
The move comes a day after Martinez, a free agent, signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Turner's former team. Martinez had spent the previous five seasons as the Red Sox' DH, averaging .292 with an OPS of .889 with an average of 26 homers and nearly 85 RBI in that span. Martinez got a one-year, $10 million deal with the Dodgers.
Turner, 38, spent the last nine seasons with the Dodgers. Last season, he slashed .278/.350/.438 with 13 homers and 81 RBI. Turner played third base almost exclusively in his time with the Dodgers, but has played 39 games at first base over his career and provides the Red Sox with a righthanded-hitting first baseman behind Triston Casas.
Other than Bobby Dalbec, whose inconsistent performance has resulted in the Red Sox shopping him around this offseason, the Sox had no viable backup to Casas after Eric Hosmer was designated for assignment this past week. Turner now fills that void for the Red Sox, in addition to providing an alternative to Rafael Devers at third.
Turner is the fifth free agent signed by the Sox to a major league deal this offseason, following outfielder Masataka Yoshida, and relievers Chris Martin, Joely Rodriguez and Kenley Jansen.
The loss of shortstop Xander Bogaerts depleted the team offensively, especially from the right side. With Yoshida projected as the likely everyday left fielder, the Sox had a lefty-heavy lineup with Yoshida, Devers, Casas, right fielder Alex Verdugo and No. 1 catcher -- for now, at least -- Reese McGuire all hitting from the left side.
Turner balances that out somewhat, and his profile as a pull hitter should enable him to do damage at Fenway.
He also gets on base at a high clip (.366 career OBP), as the Red Sox seek to build a lineup in which hitters grind out at-bats, get on base and put the ball in play consistently. Yoshida, too, comes with a reputation for having strong knowledge of the strike zone. He compiled a .442 OBP last year in Japan and walked nearly twice as often as he struck out, a near unheard of ratio.
Like Martinez, whom the Sox remained engaged with until recently, Turner saw a sharp dropoff in his home run total in 2022, going from 20 in 2021 to just 13 last year. Martinez experienced a similar dropoff after clubbing 28 homers in 2021 before falling to 16 this past season.
Further, as a respected veteran of 14 big league seasons, Turner provides leadership among the club's position players. The loss of Bogaerts and Martinez removed two leaders from the Red Sox' clubhouse.
Turner is also accustomed to being in a winning environment. In every one of his nine seasons with the Dodgers, Turner has qualified for the postseason and has generally performed well on the October stage, with an .830 OPS in the playoffs and World Series. Turner was a part of three pennant-winning teams with the Dodgers.
Meanwhile, the DH spot, which has been occupied by either Martinez or David Ortiz in nearly every season since 2003, will undergo a sea change in 2023. Turner will undoubtedly get the vast majority of the at-bats there, but with his ability to fill in at both first and third, Alex Cora will have the option of utilizing either Devers or Casas in the DH spot, too, enabling them to get off their feet and get an occasional break from defensive responsibilities.