It became apparent that the Boston Red Sox’s interest in one of their offseason additions went beyond the front office.
Justin Turner, who agreed to a one-year deal with the Red Sox, offered some insight into that interest Friday. The 38-year-old made his free agency decision after spending the previous nine seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers. And Turner made it clear he found the recruiting efforts made by Red Sox players to be “intriguing.”
“As things shook out. … I found it intriguing I got recruited pretty heavily by a lot of guys,” Turner said, as transcribed by Chris Cotillo of MassLive. “Lots of texts and calls.”
That recruitment likely came easy for the Red Sox, who have several team members that Turner is more than familiar with. Outfielder Kiké Hernández and closer Kenley Jansen both shared the field alongside Turner during their respective tenures with the Dodgers. Hernández, who has been in Boston for the last two seasons, made his approval of the signing crystal clear.
Jansen, like Turner, also joined the Red Sox through free agency this offseason. In December, the closer agreed to a two-year deal with Boston after a one-year run with the Atlanta Braves.
As far as lineup-based questions were concerned, Turner made one thing clear. When asked, Turner revealed he doesn’t expect to spend much time guarding the hot corner. While newly re-signed teammate Rafael Devers has that covered, Turner instead will focus on his offensive contributions.
“Mostly (designated hitter), a little first base, hopefully not too much third base,” Turner said, as transcribed by Alex Speier of The Boston Globe.
With the Dodgers last season, Turner batted .278/.350/.438 with 13 home runs and 81 RBIs in 128 games. In each of his 130-plus-game seasons, he’s surpassed the 20-homer mark.
