10 Summers Ago

Justin Turner was a handy utility player for the Mets.  Seeing action at 2nd, short, 3rd and 1st base and even in the outfield, he hit .280 without much power.  Approaching his 29th birthday, and overshadowed by David Wright, Ruben Tejada and Daniel Murphy, Turner wasn't offered a contact at season's end, and he left as a free agent.

That turned out to be one of the worst decisions Sandy Alderson made while running the Mets front office.  The Southern California native signed with the Dodgers, where he blossomed into a star.  Over the next nine years, he averaged .296 (.866 OPS) with 17 homers.  Moving onto Boston in 2023, he bounced around the infield and bounced back on offense to smack 23 homers with a career-best 96 RBIs.

A free agent once, again, there's plenty of sentiment about bringing Justin Turner back to Queens, especially after Ronny Mauricio's knee injury that will sideline him into at least July.  But as a known quantity, the Mets aren't the only club talking to Justin's agent.  Toronto, Arizona and the Cubs are also said to be interested in a ballplayer whom the Mets clearly undervalued a decade ago.



 

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