Cubs reach 1-year, $6M deal with Justin Turner (source)

MESA, Ariz. ¨C One thing that Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer has accomplished in building his roster for the season ahead is adding a group of players who have extensive postseason experience. Justin Turner will be the next to join the fold.

On Tuesday, sources told MLB.com that Turner was in agreement with the Cubs on a one-year deal worth $6 million, plus another $2.5 million in incentives. Once the North Siders lost out in the bidding for free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman, the front office pivoted and targeted the veteran Turner to bolster the bench.

While the Cubs have not confirmed the deal, which is pending physical, players in the clubhouse were already expressing excitement over the addition.

¡°He¡¯s been a really good player for a long time,¡± Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson said. ¡°He¡¯s someone that we can really learn a lot from, just his experience. He¡¯s just such a pro at what he does. That, I think, will really, really impact this group.¡±

The arrival of the 40-year-old Turner should help the Cubs¡¯ roster in a few ways.

Turner can step in as a right-handed complement to lefty-swinging Michael Busch at first base, which has been the 16-year Major League veteran¡¯s main position for the past two years. Chicago lacked a true backup to Busch and planned on giving utilityman Jon Berti some work at the position.

With his wealth of experience at third base, Turner can also serve as part of the safety net (along with Berti) behind rookie Matt Shaw (No. 19 on Pipeline¡¯s Top Prospects 100 list), who is the front-runner for that position. Shaw can also lean on Turner as an additional source of advice as he tries to win the job and prepares for his MLB debut campaign.

¡°Any time you can lean on guys who have done a lot in the game,¡± Cubs outfielder Ian Happ said, ¡°and experienced a ton of different things, it¡¯s a huge asset. Not only does [Shaw] have Nico [Hoerner] and Dansby to talk to about coming up at a young age and what that takes, but a guy like Turner who¡¯s reinvented himself, played forever and had success at the highest level.¡±

To Happ¡¯s point, Turner broke into the big leagues in 2009 with the Orioles and posted a .684 OPS with a 92 OPS+ in his first five years between Baltimore and the Mets. After joining the Dodgers in ¡®14, he transformed himself into an elite offensive threat, hitting .296 with an .865 OPS and 133 OPS+ over nine years with L.A.

During his run with the Dodgers, Turner made two All-Star teams, was named on MVP ballots in three years and picked up a Clemente Award (2022). Turner also appeared in 86 playoffs games, including three World Series with one triumph (2020). On the October stage, he hit .270/.370/.460 with 13 homers, 19 doubles and 42 RBIs in 368 plate appearances.

Turner will join World Series champions Kyle Tucker (2022 Astros), Ryan Pressly (¡®22 Astros) and Ryan Brasier (¡®18 Red Sox and ¡®24 Dodgers) among the newcomers to the Cubs this season. Swanson believes the front office adding players with plenty of playoff experience wasn't a coincidence.

¡°It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if that was intentional,¡± Swanson said. ¡°The more people that you get like that, the better off you¡¯re going to be, because they understand what it takes. They understand how each moment is important. And there¡¯s just something about people that enjoy and love winning ¨C when you get them together ¨C how that can change culture.¡±

Turner moved off third base as his primary position in 2023 with the Red Sox and garnered most of his playing time between first and designated hitter in ¡®24 with the Blue Jays and Mariners. Last season, he hit .259/.354/.383 in 139 games overall, ending with a 114 OPS+ to go with 11 homers, 24 doubles and 55 RBIs.

The Cubs¡¯ DH role will be filled mostly by Seiya Suzuki now that Tucker is with the team and locked in as the main right fielder. Turner should be able to find his at-bats between first, third and DH, but also as a pinch-hitter who has a long history of performing in crucial situations.

¡°I¡¯m really excited. I¡¯m pumped,¡± Happ said. ¡°I¡¯ve been a fan of his for a long time, the way he plays the game. He¡¯s a natural hitter. His ability not only to drive the baseball, but situationally hit. The swing, the way he thinks about hitting, all that stuff, I think, will be an asset for us.¡±