5 former Dodgers players still without a job heading toward spring training

Justin Turner

Turner's separation from the Dodgers after nine seasons with them seems to have left behind some hurt feelings, and for good reason. They declined his $16 million club option at the end of 2022 despite the fact that he was one of their most proficient hitters for nearly a decade and let him go across the country to the Red Sox in free agency. He continued to mash for the Red Sox, even though he was one of the oldest active players in the league in 2023.

Players like Justin Verlander and Joey Votto continue to push back on the prevailing belief that age should be a concern for teams looking at free agents, but Turner does it just as well as any of them. His numbers aren't exactly what they used to be when he was at the height of his powers with the Dodgers, but they've leveled out and steadied, and his veteran presence alone could make him an influential force in any clubhouse. But Turner is in the same boat as Pederson in regards to a return to LA: the Dodgers have a brand new, $700 million man at DH now.

The Blue Jays and Mets, who he played with for three seasons and some change, have expressed interest, and the Red Sox did seem to be engaged with him about coming back to Boston, though that's quieted significantly since December. He hasn't expressed any desire to retire, so it's pretty much a guarantee we'll see him on the field again in 2024.