Dodgers: Was the Trea Turner Trade Worth it? 2021 Reviews
The Dodgers filled two major needs at the trade deadline last year with the acquisition of right-handed ace Max Scherzer and star shortstop Trea Turner. Scherzer has come and gone, but Trea will be back in LA for 2022.
So, all told, was the trade worth it for the Dodgers?
Turner was sidelined for approximately a week after being acquired at the trade deadline in an enormous blockbuster transaction. The start to his time in Los Angeles wasn't perfect, as he batted just .200 over his first eight games before getting comfortable in the box. However, from August 15 onward, he posted a .362/.409/.616 triple-slash line with 10 home runs and 26 runs batted in.
The strong finish to his season secured the NL batting title for the infielder, LA's first since 1963. And he did all that while adapting to his new position at second base.
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Overall, you couldn't have asked for much more from the 28-year-old after being dealt to the Dodgers in the regular season. Of course, this is only in the context of a 162-game schedule. In the postseason, he hit just .216 avg over 12 games while LA came up short of going back-to-back as world champs.
It is expected that in 2022, Trea Turner will shift to shortstop and bat in one of the top three positions on Dave Roberts' roster. With that in mind, the trade was 100% worth it for the Dodgers. The team traded from an area of depth (catching prospects) and a not-quite-ready-for-primetime pitcher (Josiah Gray) and got insurance for Corey Seager's departure in return.
Turner will be entering his final season under team control, and he'll undoubtedly aim to build an exceptional campaign. To do that, he needs to buy into the Dodger ideology of “try not to do too much.” We saw him press in October and it didn't go so well. He'll certainly be playing for his next big pay day all season long.
