Earlier in the offseason, the Los Angeles Dodgers let Trea Turner go to the Philadelphia Phillies.
He signed a $300 million contract with the reigning NL champions.
With Monday’s newspaper in hand, we can go ahead and say it: perhaps they should have pushed harder to retain him.
Have been starting to think maybe the #Dodgers should’ve re-signed Trea Turner.pic.twitter.com/qqwJkmL5EC
— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) March 21, 2023
In fact, the Dodgers’ confidence in their players under contract, prospects, and player development staff is very high.
So much so that they barely tried to retain Turner, Andrew Heaney, Tyler Anderson, Tommy Kahnle, and even Justin Turner.
That’s a lot of lost talent right there.
Their decision not to pursue Turner (or at least not to the degree most fans would have preferred) started to create depth issues that became worse after Gavin Lux’s injury.
The Dodgers’ offseason acquisition for the position, Miguel Rojas, is a career 85 wRC+ hitter (well below the league average of 100).
Now, the Dodgers are considering using Chris Taylor at shortstop a lot, and that has caused them to consider moving Mookie Betts to second base on occasion.
Most of this wouldn’t have happened if they invested in Turner, a top-tier player with excellent recent performance.
He also happened to dominate the competition in the World Baseball Classic, hitting five home runs and leading the way as the United States reached the final.
The 29-year-old Turner made for a fine long-term investment, as he is capable of hitting for average and power, getting on base, stealing bases, and playing great shortstop defense.
The Phillies simply wanted him more than they did.
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Dodgers Manager Declares His Rooting Interest For WBC Final
