The 2025 season was a tough one for two-time All-Star Justin Turner, who batted just .219/.288/.314 in 191 plate appearances with the Cubs. Between that rough showing and Turner’s looming 41st birthday later this month, some have wondered whether he’ll continue playing. Agent Greg Genske of Vayner Sports tells Jon Morosi of MLB Network that Turner indeed is intent on playing in what would be his 18th major league season in 2026.
The 2025 season was the first below-average season Turner has had at the plate since establishing himself as a big league regular. He hit .259/.354/.384 between Boston and Seattle in 2024 and was 16% better than average at the plate in both ’23 and ’24, by measure of wRC+. This year’s downturn in production was steep, but it came in a relatively minimal sample and wasn’t accompanied by a glaring uptick in punchouts Turner’s strikeout rate did climb from 17.6% to 19.4%, but his contact rate — specifically his contact rate on balls within the strike zone — was largely unchanged.
Virtually all of Turner’s struggles in 2025 came against right-handed pitching. He tallied 109 plate appearances versus lefties and delivered a solid .276/.330/.429 batting line (112 wRC+). Against right-handed opponents, he was one of the worst hitters in MLB: .141/.232/.155 in 82 plate appearances (a gruesome 16 wRC+). At least some of that is attributable to a .179 BABIP against righties, though his struggles can’t be blamed solely on poor fortune. Turner’s 39.7% ground-ball rate was his highest since 2014, and he posted career-worst marks in pop-up rate, line-drive rate and hard-hit rate.
Based on Turner’s age and last year’s lack of production, anything more than a modest one-year deal seems unreasonable. Turner’s one-year deal with the Cubs paid him a guaranteed $6MM, and he’ll almost certainly need to take a pay cut on that sum. Last year’s struggles will make a club reluctant to offer him regular at-bats, but a team with payroll concerns and a left-handed option at first base/DH could view him as an affordable veteran roll of the dice who brings plenty of clubhouse benefits to the fold. Clubs like the Padres (Gavin Sheets), Rangers (Joc Pederson), Guardians (Kyle Manzardo, C.J. Kayfus) and Royals (Vinnie Pasquantino) all have lefty-hitting first base and/or designated hitter options that struggled against southpaws in 2025.
Who is giving this guy a Major League deal?
Fair comment. I guess if he said he didn’t plan to play then, by design, nobody would call.
I would guess the phone stays silent and then some time in March he signs one of those one day deals and retires as a Dodger.
Did Turner say he would insist on an MLB guarantee? If he wants to play badly enough, he would probably welcome an NRI to spring training with the right team.
Time to go home
Let another man to have a job
Go and enjoy your family 💕
I think someone will. He is just one season removed from being productive, 2025 was a short sample size and peripherals indicate he could still be. You don’t have enough to come down so hard.
He’s 41 and has been on a steady decline for a while. Highly doubt he has anything in the tank at this point. He can’t really play defense or hit RHPs all that well anymore so his role is limited to platoon 1B/DH. Really aside from the annually craptastic teams stuck in rebuilding mode, he likely won’t land a big league job.
He could platoon and take a some DH time. He won’t make much but again, that small sample size and his peripherals are legitemate arguments that he can swing the bat pretty well, still. I guess we’re making a gentlemens bet on this.
I just don’t see him landing on a team that wants to/can win stuff as soon as possible. Backup 1B/DHs generally don’t produce much value because they’re so limited as is. I do think a rebuilding club will take him, mainly because they don’t have anybody better in house/want that veteran leadership guy to help teach the young players how to handle life in the MLB.
I appreciate the enthusiasm, and I tip my cap to a wonderful & lengthy career for JT, but the profile here is impossible to utilize.
-DH only
-negative baserunning + fielding value
-unplayable against 70% of MLB pitchers, and merely above average against the remaining 30%
-no remaining power
a more suitable role would be into coaching.
He plays a decent 1B and can at least stand at 3B, so I don’t think he is truly DH only.
completely disagree on both assessments
In 218 innings at 1B this year, he put up +2 DRS and +1 OAA/DRS. He can at least stand there and catch throws. I agree he shouldn’t play 3B anymore though.
Sign with the Rockies. He’ll put up inflated numbers and the team is garbage.
Too expensive for the Rockies.
He’d probably sign for cheap if he wants to keep playing
I hear Korea is very nice – modern, good fans
is that his plan?
MLB rosters used to have more room for limited, older guys.
Are there any current MLB players who can be called primarily a pinch hitter?
No, they gave those PH roster spots to starters who can only throw 90 pitches and relievers that only throw 20.
Most plate appearances as PH was Grichuk with 50, then Ibanez and Jones on the Tigers. Dylan Moore and Turner were the only other guys with more than 30.
Justin Turner never played for Boston in 2024. He did, however, play for Toronto and Seattle in 2024. Turner played for Boston in 2023.
He’s going to have to play in Korea or Mexico.
He must like playing baseball because most would retire after a great career and his age. I could definitely see him playing at replacement level but being a valuable playoff roster guy (like Miguel Rojas) or a vet leader on a bad team like the Rockies.
Anyone knocking him needs to understand the game.He will come cheap and a veteran to help young guys. Still will get you some knocks. I would love Arizona to sign him as a bench bat.
He is to old to relate to young players..you don’t need a Dad on your 26 man roster.
young MLB guys who are good and want to improve love having an older guy like this in the clubhouse unless they are jerks. it’s not really about relating to them. it’s about learning from them. most young guys who want to be successful soak up opportunities to learn from guys like JT, especially one with as much playoff experience as him.
The most he’s probably getting is a minor league deal with a Spring Training invitation. Other than that, a trip to the Mexican Baseball League is in his future.
Agree he’s probably looking at a minor league contract with a spring training invitation, but I doubt he’d be interested in a foreign league. Not many players come back from that trip, and not especially at his age.
You’re probably right, Justin might not want to try a foreign league. He might also not want a minor league deal. We’ll know by Spring Training where he lands.
I am remembering especially the long strange trip of Manny Ramirez in trying to battle back into the game at age 40+ through foreign leagues. He performed well in those leagues but it didn’t buy him a return ticket to the majors.
Not to be unkind–he had a very good career–but when your most valuable assets are that you are “great in the clubhouse” and “a great role model for the young guys”–it’s time to hang ’em up. Cubs fans felt all season like the roster spot could have been better used.
His benefit to the clubhouse with his knowledge of the game and overall professionalism would be an asset to a team with young players ready to compete. He can still hit lefties. I figure he gets a spring invite at a minimum , though a guaranteed contract may be difficult
Who doesnt love JT
Plans or hopes?
I also plan to see ball hit ball in 2026. Players gotta play.
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