Red Sox Letting Justin Turner Walk Further Divides Ownership From Its Fanbase
The relationship between Boston Red Sox fans and the team’s ownership has been complicated, to say the least.
In an offseason filled with personnel changes, a stunning lack of meaningful roster moves, and (maybe most importantly) mixed messages from ownership, fans are in a state of division.
While some are calling for an outright boycott and demanding Fenway Sports Group sell the team, others are searching for any possible upside the 2024 season can offer.
Some of the more intriguing elements of the 2024 Red Sox are readily apparent. Triston Casas is coming off a rookie season that should have fans very optimistic about his immediate future.
Brayan Bello is slated to take a step forward and Masataka Yoshida is expected to settle into a more demanding schedule after his first Major League Baseball season. In addition to these established big-leaguers, 2024 may be the year that some of the Red Sox’s top prospects make their debut, which should reignite the die-hard fans’ interest in the team.
But there is one key factor to drawing fans, or at least satisfying the eternally loyal ones, that Red Sox leadership has opted to ignore. Atop the list of intangibles that a player can bring to the game is a genuine relationship with the fans and the city they call home, and with that comes a relatability, a sense that a player is “one-of-us” in fans’ eyes. The Red Sox had a player with that rare quality, and they had the opportunity to keep him in town but chose not to.
Justin Turner agreed to a contract with the Red Sox in December of 2022 after nine seasons and a World Series title with the Dodgers, signing a deal that included a player option after the first year.
The structuring of the contract was such that the first year would see Turner earn $8.3 million, and his option for 2024 would be worth $13.4 million, with a $6.7 million buyout. In other words, the deal was made to keep Turner’s CBT hit to a minimum in 2023 while guaranteeing Turner $15 million, essentially making the deal one year and $15 million.
Opting out, though, never meant leaving Boston to Turner. Justin and his wife Kourtney renewed their lease to stay in Boston rather than returning to their home in Southern California. Let me repeat that. The Turners liked Boston so much, they decided to stay in Boston for the WINTER instead of SoCal. But that is far from the only example of JT’s love for the city.
The Turners brought their charity, the Justin Turner Foundation, to Boston with them, hosting the Turner Trot 5K in August of 2023 to support the charity’s primary focuses of homeless veterans and children battling life-altering illnesses. Turner not only ran the race himself but stayed at the finish line to meet fans and thank the participants.
Over the course of his one season in Boston, JT made it a point to acquaint himself with all New England has to offer. Turner made himself at home, sharing the journey on his Instagram while being inundated with comments from lamenting Dodger fans.
From his wife participating in the Boston Marathon, to him sitting front row at Boston Bruins games, and spending off days tubing down the Saco River in New Hampshire - he instantly ingratiated himself in the community.
In a season following the departure of Xander Bogaerts, the Red Sox desperately needed to fill that leadership role, and the 38-year-old Turner seemed like the answer to that need.
Although he would prove to be much more than that. In addition to becoming the veteran leader the Red Sox needed him to be, JT played 146 games, just five games shy of his career high. 58 of those games he played in the field, many of which were despite a foot injury he suffered in early August.
Through injury and the effect age is supposed to have on an infielder approaching 40, Turner maintained a .291 average and .858 OPS into late August. He racked up 23 homers which was third on the Red Sox and four shy of his career high. He was undoubtedly the most consistent bat on the team especially in clutch situations. In 51 at-bats with two outs and runners in scoring position, Turner hit .333 with a 1.002 OPS and 26 RBI.
However, despite his production, his admiration and charity work for the city, his much-needed leadership, and vocal desire to remain in Boston, the Red Sox never even made him an offer.
Turner signed a one-year, $13 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays last week and has since revealed how disinterested the Red Sox front office was in negotiating with him.
In his media availability, Turner said that returning to Boston was a “no-brainer” but negotiations never got off the ground.
“Part of the difficulty in those conversations was the process of finding a new chief baseball officer," Turner told reporters. "It probably took a little longer than they anticipated and … I just didn’t know what was gonna happen with Breslow coming in.”
I would argue Turner is giving a lot of credit where it may not be due. Despite the longer-than-expected process of finding a new chief baseball officer, Craig Breslow had more than enough opportunity to at least engage in conversation with Turner.
Shortly after his hiring, Breslow made his stance on the designated hitter clear, which was when the idea of Turner heading elsewhere really heated up.
“On a high level, we’d probably look to give Alex (Cora) as much flexibility as possible,” Breslow told the media, as transcribed by The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey. “Recognizing that it’s a long season and there will be times where he’s going to want to get guys off their feet, but keep their bats in the lineup.
I don’t think there’s one way to do it. Now, obviously, I’ve played with a guy who commanded the DH spot for quite some time (in David Ortiz) and was pretty successful doing it. I think short of that, having as many creative possibilities as we can arrange makes sense.”
Many saw this as the writing on the wall for Turner, solidifying the suspicion that he may not return to Boston. On the other hand, Turner had played 58 games in the field in 2023 and is by no means restricted to the DH spot alone. Those on board with Breslow’s line of thinking argue that Yoshida and Devers need days off the field and should log games in the DH spot.
While neither are Gold Glove-caliber defenders, relegating a player who has spent one year in MLB (who led the team with a .289 average), or your franchise star (one year after giving him the largest contract in team history) to the DH spot would be an undeniably awful look.
The argument that Turner somehow doesn’t fit on this team because the new leader of the front office wants to abandon the method in which the team deploys designated hitters is a thin one, and one that Turner’s presence would not nullify.
Between the lack of meaningful additions, and Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy’s comments at Winter Weekend indicating the Red Sox’ payroll will be lower in 2024 than 2023, there are few (if any) reasons to believe that the Red Sox will be a competitive team this season.
That is a tough pill to swallow for Red Sox fans who have just sat through two last-place seasons in a row. One of the few consolations a fanbase can seek in such circumstances is a connection to the individuals on the roster; a feeling of being represented and cheering for the personalities that play a role in their community.
After trading Chris Sale, the longest-tenured player on the Red Sox is now Rafael Devers. Justin Turner cheated the system. He established a relationship with Red Sox fans and the city of Boston that usually takes players years to grow.
Turner far exceeded on-field expectations. He was a positive influence on the community and a leader in the clubhouse. He repeatedly expressed his interest in staying in Boston. He needed no long-term commitment. He fetched only $13 million on the open market.
Most importantly, fans wanted him. He served as an easy get-out-of-jail-free card for an organization that is in increasingly hot water with its fanbase. And they said no thank you.
Although there is a growing list of transgressions from the organization to its fans and players, this was the easiest to avoid and is, simply put, inexcusable.
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