Red Sox Reportedly Turned Down Reunion With Fan Favorite Slugger

Boston continues to make questionable choices

Scott Neville | Jan 31, 2024

Red Sox Reportedly Turned Down Reunion With Fan Favorite Slugger /

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox's lack of activity has been one of the more head-scratching developments this offseason.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has made a few trades, but most of those moves were to add depth or upgrade one area but weaken another -- take the Chris Sale for Vaughn Grissom swap for example.

Many expected and were hopeful that the Red Sox would at least re-sign corner infielder/designated hitter Justin Turner after a fantastic debut season in Boston last season. Unfortunately, the 39-year-old has joined the rival Toronto Blue Jays but not before attempting a reunion at Fenway Park.

"Turner and his representatives reached out, but could not get the Red Sox interested enough to engage in talks," legendary baseball journalist Peter Gammons reported Wednesday. "He will be a significant, needed addition for the Jays."

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. He was the best right-handed bat on the team last year and acted as an unofficial captain as well.

The Red Sox appear content rolling the dice on a group of young, relatively unproven bats to collectively fill the void Turner left behind.

You'd think if they were aiming to compete this season Turner would be an impactful and cost-effective option. If they are focused on the future, he'd be the perfect leader to bridge the gap for young rising stars.

Instead, a division rival improves while the Red Sox continue to sit in limbo and the rest of the league laughs at their dysfunction.

More MLB: Ex-Red Sox Outfielder Inks Deal With Rival Yankees To Bolster Positional Depth

Published Jan 31, 2024

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