Cubs To Sign Justin Turner

The Cubs have agreed to a contract with 40-year-old free agent Justin Turner, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Patrick Mooney of The Athletic notes that the deal is a one-year, $6MM pact, while Heyman adds that Turner can earn an additional $2.5MM in incentives. Mooney was also the first to report that the two sides were nearing an agreement.

Despite his age, Turner remained a productive bat for the Blue Jays and Mariners in 2024. He hit 24 doubles and 11 home runs while continuing to make the most of his plate discipline and contact skills en route to a .737 OPS and 117 wRC+. The righty batter was particularly productive for Seattle in September, slashing .295/.396/.449 with a 143 wRC+. In other words, there is little reason to doubt that he can still be a valuable contributor to a team with postseason aspirations.

Turner has qualified for the batting title in each of the past four seasons, but he will take on more of a part-time role with the Cubs. ESPN’s Jesse Rogers notes that Turner is expected to fill a backup role at first and third base. Chicago reportedly considered many options for such a job but ultimately settled on Turner after missing out on star third baseman Alex Bregman (per Rogers). The Cubs were a finalist to sign Bregman before he joined the Red Sox instead. The team also reportedly considered trading for Nolan Arenado, although it comes as no surprise that the Cardinals weren’t interested in trading Arenado to a division rival (per Mooney).

Primarily a third baseman in his younger days, Turner has only played a handful of games at the hot corner in each of the past two seasons. Instead, he has transitioned to a first base/DH role. However, both of those jobs are already spoken for in Chicago, with the promising sophomore Michael Busch at first base and Seiya Suzuki, arguably the team’s second-best hitter after Kyle Tucker, penciled in at DH. So, Turner is likely to get his playing time as a backup option at multiple positions and a bat off the bench. He could also platoon with Busch at first if the lefty batter continues to struggle against same-handed pitching. On top of that, Turner will offer the club insurance in the case of an injury to Busch, Suzuki, or a corner outfielder; if Tucker or Ian Happ gets hurt, Suzuki could play the outfield with Turner taking over as the primary DH.

In addition, Turner will provide a bit more stability at third base, which is currently something of a question mark for the Cubs. Top prospect Matt Shaw seems to be the most likely choice to win the third base gig out of camp, but the 23-year-old has yet to play a game at the big league level. Thus, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer made it clear that Shaw is not yet guaranteed the starting job. However, the Cubs don’t exactly have a ton of other options. Jon Berti and Vidal Brujan both have MLB experience at third, but neither is a starting-caliber player at the position. Meanwhile, Rule 5 pick Gage Workman is himself an unknown quantity; he has not played a game above Double-A. The 40-year-old Turner isn’t necessarily a solution, but he will, at least, improve the team’s depth at third. His glove might be a liability, but if nothing else, he’s a talented hitter who knows how to play the position.