Justin Turner shrugs off report the Red Sox nearly traded him to Miami
According to The Athletic, the Red Sox had “extensive discussions” about trading DH/infielder Justin Turner to the Marlins, suggesting Miami officials “felt they were close” to landing the 38-year-old.
The Sox, as chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom acknowledged after the deadline, explored the full extent of options prior to Tuesday’s trade deadline. The team considered both additions of players to improve their chances of contending in 2023 and trading away veteran contributors such as Turner, lefthander James Paxton, and outfielder Adam Duvall — moves in pursuit of long-term improvement.
Turner greeted the notion that he’d been discussed as a trade candidate with a shrug.
“News to me,” he said. “I don’t know anyone in this room knew where we stood, what we were going to do [as a deadline buyer or seller].”
“It was a teeter-totter of emotion: ‘Are we going to get somebody? But I hope we keep everybody,’ ” added Turner. “When the trade deadline passed and everyone stayed, there was definitely a sigh of relief. Maybe there’s some frustration we didn’t add anybody, but there’s some joy that we kept the guys who could’ve been dealt.”
Turner, who is with the Sox on a one-year, $13.4 million deal that includes a $6.7 million player option for 2024, said he hasn’t thought about whether he’ll be with the Sox beyond 2023.
“I’m not really worried about whatever happens in the offseason,” said Turner. “I’m worried about being here, being part of the Red Sox right now. That’s all I really care about.”
That said, Turner — who was out of the lineup for a third straight game Friday due to a heel injury, but deemed available by manager Alex Cora — made clear his enthusiasm for Boston.
“I’ve loved every second of it,” he said.
The same report in The Athletic suggested the Sox had been among the teams to contact the Mets about Justin Verlander before the righthander was dealt to the Astros.
Multiple industry sources confirmed that the Sox — who’d been interested in Verlander last winter as a free agent, before the Mets signed him to a two-year, $86 million deal — inquired about the righthander’s availability, seeing him as a fit (particularly given New York’s willingness to pay down his contract to get prospects back) for their pursuit of a rotation upgrade.
However, according to those sources, a deal between the Sox and Mets was never remotely close. There was limited dialogue between the clubs before New York dealt Verlander to Houston in exchange for a pair of prospects.
Alex Speier can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @alexspeier.
