Justin Turner is no longer a member of the Boston Red Sox, but he's sending a message about his former team. Turner signed a contract to play with the Toronto Blue Jays, but it seems that may not have been the player's first choice. He wanted to re-sign with the Red Sox, but negotiations never got off the ground, per the Boston Globe.

Turner played just one season in Boston. He worked as both a designated hitter and infielder for the team, finishing the 2023 campaign with 154 hits and 96 runs batted in on more than 550 at-bats. It seems Turner deeply enjoyed his time with the Red Sox franchise.

“I think as time went on it was appearing to be less and less likely [to return to Boston],” Turner told reporters, per Boston.com. “Right when the season ended, I assumed that it would be a no-brainer that I would try to work something out and come back.”

Turner is now taking his talents to Toronto, to help a franchise looking for continued success in 2024. He signed a one-year deal with the Canadian major league baseball team.

The Blue Jays finished the 2023 season with an 89-73 record, good for third place in the American League East. The Blue Jays battled hard to get phenom Shohei Ohtani in the offseason but lost out on him to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Before his time with the Red Sox, Turner also played for the Dodgers, Mets and Orioles. He's made the All-Star Game twice in his career and won a World Series in 2020 with the Dodgers. He has a lifetime batting average of .288 with 1,461 hits and 187 home runs.

The Blue Jays start spring training games on Feb. 24 with a meeting against the Philadelphia Phillies.