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3 biggest threats to steal Trea Turner from Dodgers in free agency

By Thomas Carannante |
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 31: Trea Turner #6 of the Los Angeles Dodgers in action against the New York Mets at Citi Field on August 31, 2022 in New York City. The Mets defeated the Dodgers 2-1. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 31: Trea Turner #6 of the Los Angeles Dodgers in action against the New York Mets at Citi Field on August 31, 2022 in New York City. The Mets defeated the Dodgers 2-1. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
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The offseason is already here for a number of MLB teams out there. The luxury they have is getting ahead of the free agency frenzy and preparing for the always volatile trade market. For contenders like the Los Angeles Dodgers, their campaign is far from over, and their focus is so far from what’s to come in November/December.

That’s a slight disadvantage for Andrew Friedman and Co., who will be tasked with re-signing Trea Turner, arguably the best shortstop hitting the open market in a few weeks. Turner has left the door open for a return to the Dodgers, but he also said “everything is in play,” which plays into the rumor from earlier this year that he preferred an east coast team because he wanted to be close to home (Florida).

Now, that might be true. But money always talks. The Dodgers might be able to offer the most, but they have two contracts in Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman that are on the books for at least five more years (Betts until 2032!). Are they willing to go $220 million or more for Turner over seven or more years?

Honestly, probably! Why wouldn’t they? They’d have an almost unstoppable offensive core for the next five years at least and can sprinkle in their up-and-coming young talent, trade acquisitions, and other shrewd free agent signings Friedman always pulls off.

But we’d be remiss not to mention the threats that remain out there for Turner. He’ll be a highly sought-after player and these teams can’t be disregarded when free agency kicks off.

3 biggest threats to steal Trea Turner from Dodgers in free agency

Brandon Crawford #35 of the San Francisco Giants (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Brandon Crawford #35 of the San Francisco Giants (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

3. San Francisco Giants

Oh no. No no no no. NO!!!!! OK, now that we’ve gotten that out of our system, let’s elaborate. The San Francisco Giants will have a ton of money to spend in the offseason. Many have suspected Aaron Judge will be their primary target. But that’s hardly a guarantee.

Next up in terms of star power is probably Turner. He’s a five-tool player and would represent a coup should the Giants swipe him from the Dodgers. The elephant in the room, however, is Brandon Crawford’s presence. He’s signed through 2023.

If we’re to believe FanSided’s Robert Murray, that may not matter. The MLB insider said it’s possible the Giants make a run at Turner, put him at second base for a year, let Crawford finish out his days at short, and move forward with Turner in 2024 as the primary starter at the position. Doesn’t sound that crazy.

But is that something Turner wants to do? Now he’s able to dictate everything about his next chapter in baseball. Playing second-fiddle to a declining franchise icon doesn’t seem like something a premier free agent would want to do for a year.

We can’t rule this out, but we wouldn’t bank on it.

Andrelton Simmons #19 of the Chicago Cubs (Photo by Chase Agnello-Dean/Getty Images)
Andrelton Simmons #19 of the Chicago Cubs (Photo by Chase Agnello-Dean/Getty Images) /

2. Chicago Cubs

The floundering Chicago Cubs (man, their fall has been tough to watch) actually played a portion of this season with Andrelton Simmons at short. Then he batted .173 with an unfathomable 24 OPS+ and management was like, “You know what? We don’t have to torture our fans!”

Nico Hoerner has logged 124 games at the position, but for months now rumors have swirled concerning the Cubs’ eventual involvement in this upcoming shortstop market, which will feature Turner, Dansby Swanson, Carlos Correa and Xander Bogaerts.

Now that their pretty little TV network is off and running, perhaps it’s time for the Ricketts family to focus on baseball. With just $90 million in guaranteed contracts on the books for 2023, the Cubs have plenty of money to spend this offseason. And they can afford to get a little bit reckless to kick other big spenders out of the picture.

Chicago simply needs to come out of this free agency period with two big names or else the franchise will set itself back much further. This isn’t quite the east coast, but if the money is there, as well as a promise to get more superior talent around him, Turner could be swayed to join the weak NL Central, a division that’s seemingly wide open every year.

Austin Hays #21 and Rougned Odor #12 of the Baltimore Orioles (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Austin Hays #21 and Rougned Odor #12 of the Baltimore Orioles (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

1. Baltimore Orioles

East Coast. Up-and-coming roster. The absolute most money to spend. Watch out for the Baltimore Orioles, who have likely accidentally timed this rebuild perfectly.

You’ll never believe this number, but if the Orioles were to exercise every contract option and pay every arbitration-eligible player on their roster (in addition to the guaranteed contracts), they’d max out at $47.6 million on the 2023 payroll. Baltimore has the means to spend, too, so they can really do a lot here.

With a core of Adley Rutschman, Ryan Mountcastle, Austin Hays, Cedric Mullins, Gunnar Henderson and more, the O’s have already proven they can contend this year (they’re 3.5 games out of the AL Wild Card race). Theoretically, with the right additions, they should be vying for the AL East title in 2023, and Turner could be the start of that.

With the spending power to outbid most other big market teams and an immediate need at the position, the O’s could easily make Turner a priority before shifting their focus to pitching (Jacob deGrom?! Carlos Rodón? Justin Verlander? Chris Bassitt? Tyler Anderson? Michael Wacha?). The list goes on.

A 1-2 of Mullins and Turner atop the Baltimore lineup would be pretty lethal. The O’s can offer the money and the setting Turner is believed to desire. They have a greater need here, too, which makes them a bit more dangerous than others who might be shopping in the high-end department for shortstops.

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