Veteran Justin Turner, who played 14 seasons in the major leagues and 9 seasons only with the Los Angeles Dodgers, wore a Boston Red Sox uniform. The contract was formalized the day before, and it is known that Kike Hernandez played an important role in the contract.
Boston officially announced a one-year contract with Turner on the 7th (Korean time). The contract is an $8.3 million contract and additional incentives are paid based on at-bat. It also includes a $13.4 million player option for the 2024 season, with a buyout of $6.7 million.
Turner is expected to play mainly as a designated hitter, and is expected to play backup third base and first base as well. Boston expected the veteran with a career batting average of 0.289, 164 homers, 663 RBIs and an OPS of 0.832 to give strength to the batting line. 메이저놀이터
It is known that Hernandez, who ate a pot of rice with the Dodgers, played a big role in Boston’s negotiations to acquire Turner. The two players have been close since their days with the Dodgers, and it continued even after Hernandez left the team.
Reporter Ian Brown of ‘MLB.com’ said, “Turner acknowledged that Hernandez was at the forefront and center of the Boston recruitment drive. It had a lot to do with him wearing a Boston uniform.”
Hernandez also quoted this, saying, “Turner’s path and career have been a great inspiration to me. I am so happy to see them on the same team again.”
In an interview the day before, Turner said, “There are many players I worked with, such as Hernandez, Kenley Jansen, Chris Martin, and Alex Verdugo. The goal with these players is to win.”