Turner's veteran presence welcome addition for Mariners

This story was excerpted from Daniel Kramer’s Mariners Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

BOSTON -- As Scott Servais sat down to breakfast at a restaurant near the team hotel on Tuesday, the Mariners’ new first baseman and designated hitter coincidentally strolled through. And that’s how the two first became acquainted.

"I think I know that guy," the manager said, but only out of recognition.

The new but familiar face belonged to Justin Turner, whom Seattle acquired from Toronto on Monday in exchange for outfielder RJ Schreck (ranked as Seattle’s No. 29 prospect by MLB Pipeline), roughly 24 hours before the Trade Deadline.

Turner has been one of the Majors’ most recognizable players over his 16 seasons, in large part for his bushy red hair and beard, which had the look of a lumberjack during his prime.

But Turner is also one of MLB’s more notable success stories of his generation, having nearly tumbled out of the game altogether before remaking his swing and becoming a key cog for the Dodgers during their dynastic run atop the National League West for the past decade.

So, when word broke in the visiting clubhouse at Fenway Park that Turner would be joining the Mariners soon, Servais and most players knew immediately about the new acquisition. Yet virtually no one had a personal relationship with him, other than first-base coach Kristopher Negrón, who played with Turner in Los Angeles in 2019.

"There are a lot of guys around the league that are coaching now that I played with," Turner said, with a long pause in between. "It just means that I’m … not that young."

After the Deadline's dust settled, it became clear that Turner was among the more prominent offensive players, as most selling teams with players at the top of the food chain stood pat. He’s already shown why Seattle’s front office coveted him, going 3-for-10 with two RBIs and two strikeouts in his first two games.

More telling, two of Turner’s three knocks were with two strikes, and his 17.3% K rate for the season is easily the lowest on the team among players with at least 250 plate appearances.

"He just doesn't give any [at-bats] away," Servais said. "And I know he's probably past his prime. He's played in this league a long time, but we're going to try and take advantage of everything that he brings every day. So really excited about that addition."

A free agent at season’s end, Turner will only be here for two months. But the value of his veteran presence within a young clubhouse could be significant. The Mariners have mostly lacked a successful, experienced position player whose voice can carry weight.

Mitch Haniger’s locker is always open, but he’s always been a more lead-by-example player and also has experienced overall struggles this season. Same for Mitch Garver, who is dealing with his own challenges at the plate -- and more so, it appears, mentally away from the game, having received ugly and uncalled for backlash from fans. No one questions that J.P. Crawford is the unofficial team captain, but he’s also 29 years old and doesn’t carry the experience that Turner does, which features 86 postseason games.

The Mariners have missed that type of presence with the departures of Eugenio Suárez, Robbie Ray and Carlos Santana over the past two years.

"Just hopefully a calming voice, someone that guys are comfortable with or get comfortable with so they can come to you with any questions or any situations and just try to help them out as best I can,” Turner said.

"I’ve been through just about everything you can go through as a player. I’ve been traded now twice, I’ve been designated for assignment, I’ve been bouncing around to a few organizations. I’ve seen a lot of stuff. I don’t think anyone would point at my career and say, ‘that’s how I want to do it.'"

Turner is expected to see his most action at first base, but will also serve as the club’s designated hitter. Servais made it clear that his bat -- good for a slash line of .258/.349/.371 (.720 OPS) this season -- will be an everyday fixture.

“He just needs to communicate with me,” Servais said. “I’ve talked with him about that. He won’t be playing first base every day, but he’ll get a lot of time over there.”

Perhaps just as telling is how excited Turner is to be here. He arrived at Fenway Park for early work the day after landing in Boston close to 10 p.m. ET. That type of personable demeanor can go a long way.