After missing out on Shohei Ohtani, the Toronto Blue Jays have been scouring the free agent market for some needed bats. In their quest for offense, the Blue Jays have turned to a former Red Sox slugger.
Toronto has signed Justin Turner to a one-year contract, via Jon Morosi of the MLB Network. Turner will make a $13 million base salary with another $1.5 million available in bonuses.
Over 146 games for the Red Sox, Turner hit .276 with 23 home runs and 93 RBI. Despite it being his age 39 season, Turner set a new career-high in RBI while having his second 20+ home run season in the past three years. If he had played for the Blue Jays in 2023, the infielder would've led the team in RBI and ranked just behind Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for the club lead in home runs.
Offense was a clear area the Blue Jays were looking to improve in entering the offseason. While they have players like Guerrero, Bo Bichette and George Springer, Toronto finished last season ranked 14th in runs scored with 746. The Blue Jays know they need a bit more offensive firepower to get over the hump.
Justin Turner will now look to provide that spark. He has been in the majors since 2009, appearing in 1,539 games. He is a .288 hitter with 187 home runs and 759 RBI. Turner is a two-time All-Star and a World Series champion.
The AL East will be a daunting gauntlet for any team trying to win the division. But with an added bat in Turner, Toronto is now hoping they have the juice to make a deep playoff run.
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