Oct 2, 2022; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros relief pitcher Ryne Stanek (45) reacts to a call by the home plate umpire in the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports that the Toronto Blue Jays and Justin Turner have reached an agreement on a one-year contract.
The Chicago Cubs were one of four teams who expressed interest in the veteran hitter, according to a Monday report from Morosi.
Turner achieved success in 2023 with the Boston Red Sox following almost ten years with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He cut.23 home runs in a season, the fourth-most in his career, let him score 276/.345/.455.
The 39-year-old, who turned 39 recently, demonstrated his ability to hit at the major league level. It is regrettable that they were unable to close a deal for a franchise like the Cubs who were searching for someone to accomplish that.
With its current configuration, Chicago’s offence is quite good.
Turner wasn’t going to be the offensive team’s saviour, but the Cubs still need an offensive player. Given the likelihood that Cody Bellinger won’t return, Chicago’s offence is in desperate need of someone to step up and improve it.
Turner may have been the best hitter left aside except for Bellinger, and there aren’t many free agents who can improve this team’s overall hitting profile.
Now that he’s joined the Blue Jays, who aspire to win a World Series, they’re hoping he can contribute the same level of output that he did with the Red Sox in 2023.
For the Cubs, the time is running out as Spring Training approaches. In the event that a player emerges with potential assistance, the front office must act quickly to finalise a transaction.
I must admit that when this deal was done, I truly knew very nothing about these guys, save from a cursory understanding of Almonte.
Clearly, Busch has the key to the transaction. Out of North Carolina, he was the Dodgers’ first-round selection (31st overall) in 2019, and he has completely destroyed minor league pitching. In just 98 games at Triple-A Oklahoma City the previous year, he batted.323/.431/.618 with 27 home runs. After that, he had a difficult 27-game trial with the Dodgers. Stopped by Freddie Freeman at first base, he looked like a solid candidate for a trade, which is exactly what occurred.
Almonte has seen years of prosperity and hardship. He has pitched well in years with an even number and poorly in years with an odd number. Yes, I am aware that is unimportant. After being quite effective for the Dodgers in 2022, he finished the season with a 5.06 ERA and 1.396 WHIP in 49 games. One possible explanation could have been an injury. He has a 2024 contract at $1.9 million, which, if he can pitch as well as he did in 2022, could be a tremendous addition to the bullpen at a cheap price.
