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Dodgers: 3 free agent replacements for Justin Turner

By Adam Weinrib |
Justin Turner, Los Angeles Dodgers (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images)
Justin Turner, Los Angeles Dodgers (Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images)
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The Dodgers are going to either have to re-sign Justin Turner or replace him in free agency. These options could work!

When it comes to postseason performance and the willingness to embrace his own versatility, it’s very difficult to imagine the Dodgers replacing Justin Turner.

However, they might have to budget differently in 2021, especially coming off a pandemic season in which their ultimate goal of a championship was met. Though it may be in name only, there’s a chance the Dodgers choose to “replace” Turner and shuffle the deck chairs in free agency.

So, who’ll it be? A high-dollar option to make Hollywood forget about Turner, as much as that’s possible? Or a bargain free agent to add more depth in the wake of Kiké Hernández’s possible departure, too? The Dodgers will have to plan for Turner and Hernández to both exit stage right, and they’ll also have to find a place for Gavin Lux that isn’t “Nolan Arenado trade talks.”

It’s a tough task replacing this particular man’s leadership, but there are several ways the Dodgers can go about it.

DJ LeMahieu #26 of the New York Yankees (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
DJ LeMahieu #26 of the New York Yankees (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

3. DJ LeMahieu, the Expensive Option

If the Dodgers opt for DJ LeMahieu, they can out-spend the competition.

With every day that goes by in which the Yankees don’t extend DJ LeMahieu, that door opens just a bit further for the rest of the league.

LeMahieu is an annual MVP candidate with NL West experience, and is no doubt the cream of the free agent crop. Like Turner, he can play third base, letting Lux shift to second — or, they could opt to work things out the other way around.

He’s not going to break the bank in comparison to previous years, but LeMahieu’s likely incoming four-year deal at around $20 million per year might be the heftiest contract anyone signs in this grotesque offseason.

The Yankees would be foolish to let their best contact hitter, top fielder and fairly consistent power threat go for a price they could easily match, but hey, that’s showbiz in 2020, folks.

LeMahieu becomes a more realistic option by the day, as his list of suitors remains surprisingly low. Returning to the Yanks feels like the reunion everyone asked for, but outside of that, it’s the…Mets and Angels? And us? There isn’t even an intriguing speculative list here. We didn’t expect to have a crack at adding LeMahieu, but now the opportunity is upon us. He’s basically a younger Turner with the same pulse in big moments — that is to say, it’s unchanged and not context-dependent. Worth thinking about.

Jake Lamb #4 of the Oakland Athletics (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Jake Lamb #4 of the Oakland Athletics (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

2. Jake Lamb

Jake Lamb doesn’t have the flash of other options for the Dodgers, but he has momentum.

Jake Lamb found a home in the back half of 2020, but unfortunately for him, there’s no chance it’ll be a permanent one.

The 2017 All-Star in Arizona battled injuries and backslid over the course of his next several years in the desert, but when the A’s called him this season in dire straits, Lamb was immediately rejuvenated.

In 13 games filling in for the injured Matt Chapman, Lamb hit .267 with a trio of homers and played adequate defense in deference to perhaps the best glove in the game. But Chapman will be back manning the hot corner before too long, and the A’s seem unlikely to bring Lamb back on, say, a one-year, $6 million deal. Oakland simply doesn’t value backups that way, and that’s their (likely correct?) prerogative.

Lamb would be a largely disappointing follow-up to Turner, of course, but we’re talking about 2020 here. This isn’t a typical offseason. If LA is able to extend Hernández on a two-year deal to man the utility role and wedge Lux into an everyday spot, then all they’ll need to finish off the bench is a capable third baseman with the potential of exploding like the ex-Diamondback.

If Lamb truly did find his swagger at the tail end of 2020, he’ll be a good bargain addition for whoever opts for such a thing this offseason.

Tommy LaStella #3 of the Oakland Athletics (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Tommy LaStella #3 of the Oakland Athletics (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

1. Tommy La Stella

The Dodgers could use a Swiss Army Knife like Tommy LaStella no matter who they lose this offseason.

That’s right, we’re plundering the short-term A’s! And there’s nothing they can do about it!

Seriously, they don’t have the budget.

Tommy La Stella was an excellent trade acquisition by Oakland midway through last season — beforehand, he was an exceedingly annoying Angel. Across 55 games in 2020, he struck out only 12 times and had just 28 Ks through all of 2019 (80 games played in Anaheim). La Stella will essentially be the cheaper LeMahieu for whoever chooses to employ him for (likely) the next two years.

With the ability to play both second and third, La Stella might be a more one-for-one replacement for Hernández, but keep in mind that any departure of those two players will be resolved by Lux and a free agent addition. The Dodgers are probably going to opt for versatility with whoever they choose to sign this offseason, and La Stella, just 32 when the spring comes around, can fill multiple holes at once, manning both third and second throughout 2020.

This little gnat is a .280-hitting machine who gets on base by any means necessary (a .370 clip in the shortened 2020). He’s a different player than Turner, of course, and won’t grab center stage nearly as often, but a contract offer to the mighty mite is a good way to get a dependable at-bat on a budget.

Our choice is still to pay for Turner’s final years at whatever expense that requires, but there are plenty of avenues available if the Dodgers would like to move on.

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