Justin Turner is coming off three solid seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and one National League West rival is reportedly interested in signing him when free agency opens.
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Giants Reportedly Express Preliminary Interest in Turner
Tuesday, Nov. 8
According to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, the San Francisco Giants are “open-minded” in their pursuit of Turner.
The Giants opted for a platoon at third base throughout the 2016 season, but the stats weren’t particularly encouraging.
San Francisco third basemen ranked 18th in Major League Baseball with a cumulative batting average of .266. In that same vein, their .320 on-base percentage graded out 22nd overall among all teams. Hot corner patrolmen for the Giants also combined to hit 12 home runs and tally 61 RBI.
Comparatively, Turner exceeded that production rather easily.
Over the course of 151 games, Turner posted a slash line of .275/.339/.493 with a career-best 27 home runs and 90 RBI. Those numbers came on the heels of a .340 batting average in 2014 and a .294 average with a .370 on-base percentage a year ago.
Although his defensive wins above replacement have hovered at or just north of 0.6 over the last three seasons, per Baseball-Reference.com, Turner could bring an experienced bat to an already potent Giants lineup that needs some reinforcements to compete for an NL West title.
Stats via ESPN.com unless otherwise noted.
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