Red Sox Reportedly Have Strong, Mutual Interest In Bringing Back Slugger This Winter

Boston could use an All-Star caliber slugger this offseason

Scott Neville | Nov 2, 2023

Red Sox Reportedly Have Strong, Mutual Interest In Bringing Back Slugger This Winter /

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox will need to fill their designated hitter vacancy this offseason, likely with a strong right-handed bat.

Red Sox designated hitter Justin Turner will become an unrestricted free agent on Tuesday, barring an extension agreement in the coming days.

The 38-year-old certainly will decline his player option after a stellar season, and look for a new contract. Fortunately, it seems he won't have to leave Boston to do so.

"Even with Trevor Story entering the season healthy, the Red Sox are still in need of a right-handed bat for 2024 and, barring a surprise, will have strong interest in bringing Turner back at the right price," MassLive's Chris Cotillo wrote Tuesday.

"It’s not hard to envision him slotting right back into the role he had in 2023, serving as the primary designated hitter while starting at first base against left-handed starters in an effort to ease Triston Casas’ workload a bit. The interest seems to be mutual, as well. Turner has repeatedly said how much he loved the experience of playing in Boston and has taken a liking to the area."

Turner hit .276 with 54 extra-base hits including 23 home runs, 96 RBIs and a .800 OPS (114 OPS+) in 146 games in his debut season with the Red Sox.

There's an argument to be made that he was the biggest offensive contributor on the roster last season and that's not counting the clear leadership role he assumed immediately upon signing.

At 39 years old, he'll be in line to receive a one or two-year deal, with the former likely to come with some sort of option for 2025.

The only reason Boston would be inclined to not re-sign Turner would be due to the overall defensive issues surrounding the team. Locking Turner into the designated hitter role would ensure that Masataka Yoshida, Rafael Devers and Triston Casas would assume everyday defensive roles. That does not bode well for the Red Sox.

However, the Red Sox could absorb that blow by adding a high-end second baseman. There's also the possibility that Devers bounces back to his 2022 defensive form and Casas improves heading into his second full season.

Turner in a vacuum feels like a must-have next season. The defensive alignment could get murky but having a leader that can drive in nearly 100 RBIs counteracts that issue.

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Published Nov 2, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu