Dodgers: Justin Turner ‘sad’ over possibility he’s played final game in LA

Los Angeles Dodgers star Justin Turner doesn’t want his time in LA to end before he has a chance to avenge the team’s loss in the playoffs last season.

While optimism continues to build toward a 2020 season being scheduled in some form, there are still several hurdles to clear before Major League teams are ready to return to the field anytime soon. If the season is ultimately canceled, Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner could have played his final game for the franchise that helped turn around his career, a “sad” thought for him to think about.

“It’s definitely something that I’ve thought about a few times and don’t want,” Turner told the Los Angeles Times. “Obviously there’s a possibility that there’s no season and my Dodger career could’ve ended last year in the playoffs, which would be tough. It would be sad. Sad to think about.”

Turner was a career .260 hitter with eight home runs over 318 games before joining the Dodgers in 2014. Something about the familiar California landscape helped the Long Beach native have a career season upon arriving in Los Angeles. He batted .340 in his first season with the Dodgers and nearly matched his career total in home runs with seven.

Over six seasons wearing Dodger blue, Turner has hit 112 home runs, while batting a smooth .302 with a .381 on-base-percentage. He is arguably the Dodgers’ best positional player over the past decade in terms of longevity and consistency.

The charitable third baseman signed a four-year, $64 million deal that is set to expire after this season. Due to an agreement between MLB and the Player’s Association over service time, he would become eligible for free agency whether games are played in 2020, or not. Set to turn 36 next offseason, it’s hard to predict where he will end up signing, especially considering the changing economic conditions due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Turner has not discussed a contract extension with the Dodgers, according to the Los Angeles Times.

While waiting for baseball to return, Justin and his wife, Kourtney, have been doing their best to help people in the area who are impacted by the current events. The couple have made numerous donations to The Dream Center to help provide meals to people in need.