Justin Turner dances around questions about Dodgers opting to move on

Whatever happened between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Justin Turner wasn't pretty. The franchise icon had his team option rejected and was then replaced by another aging veteran when LA signed JD Martinez.

Turner previously expressed that he wanted to return to the Dodgers and he was waiting for the call, but one never came. Nothing ever materialized. So he took it upon himself to take his future into his own hands by signing with the Boston Red Sox.

But beyond that, we have no further insight. The Dodgers and Andrew Friedman have done their best to speak in generalities and avoid saying, "We were just trying to save $4 million to remain under the luxury tax threshold" ... because that's what this was all about.

The same goes for Turner, though. He's not revealing his true feelings on the matter. He's just content that he has a job and a team that wanted him after an unenjoyable free agent process. But the fact he's been reserved on that front speaks volumes.

The Dodgers were expected to do the PR dance and leave the fans guessing ... kind of like when they let World Series heroes Joc Pederson and Kiké Hernández go without an effort to retain them after the 2022 season. Pederson and Hernandez were outspoken after that. Turner remaining silent simply shows he doesn't want that kind of energy surrounding him, and, if we were to guess, the Dodgers were colder than we could've ever imagined.

Justin Turner won't throw Dodgers under the bus for letting him leave in free agency

Here's what Turner told Jack Harris of the LA Times in his first public appearance (a charity event) in Los Angeles since departing for Boston:

"I don’t think it does anyone any good to go back and speculate as to what happened. I don’t want anything to blow back or taint the last nine years that I had and everything we accomplished ... I’d rather celebrate the nine years than talk about maybe what could have been or should have been or didn’t happen."

Justin Turner, via the LA Times

This is the truest form of professionalism ... but perhaps the Dodgers do deserve to be thrown under the bus for how they handled various free agency situations over the last few years. Turner's unceremonious departure should've perhaps been the last straw.

If there wasn't a brutally honest answer to be given here, then there'd be no reason for Turner not to be candid, right? If he wanted to move on or if the two sides agreed it was time, then what's the harm in communicating that message to the public?

Sadly, it feels like something unsavory occurred behind closed doors, and everyone involved is doing their part not to blow the lid off and make it a spectacle. Perhaps we'll find out more in the documentary/autobiography 10 years down the road.

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