BALTIMORE — The Seattle Mariners made another significant trade addition, acquiring veteran bat Justin Turner from the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday. This comes on the heels of the acquisition of Randy Arozarena from Tampa Bay last week.
The Blue Jays are receiving 24-year-old outfielder RJ Schreck, who began the season with the Everett AquaSox, in return.
Major League Baseball’s trade deadline is Tuesday at 3 p.m. Pacific Time.
Turner started at first base in the first game of a doubleheader against the Orioles on Monday. He singled in the first inning and was preparing for his second at-bat when he was told he needed to call Toronto general manager Ross Atkins. Turner was removed from the game before the bottom of the second inning but had a chance to say goodbye to most of his Blue Jays teammates, except for the relievers in the bullpen, before he departed for Boston, where the Mariners are.
Turner has had an uneven year for the Blue Jays, who signed him to a one-year, $13 million deal before the season. He’s batting .257/.351/.373 in 90 games this year, but his performance has been characterized by peaks and valleys. He was red-hot in April (.887 OPS) and June (.903 OPS) and then struggled in May (.349 OPS) and most of July (.668 OPS), although he is 14-for-27 in his past seven games.
Turner has also been solid against left-handed pitching this season, slashing .292/.347/.446 against lefties. Seattle was 25th out of 30 teams in OPS versus left-handed pitching, so adding Turner will help.
The Mariners, who have struggled offensively this season and are in the tight battle to win the AL West, could use offence and experience from a veteran like Turner. The 39-year-old has played in the postseason nine times — all with the Los Angeles Dodgers — and knows what it takes to make a deep playoff run.
“It’ll be exciting to go out and be a part of (a pennant race) and try to help them make a playoff run,” Turner said. “I know the Mariners haven’t won a division in quite some time, so, I’m hoping I can be a piece that helps them accomplish that and make a deep run in the playoffs.”
Turner is not quite an impact bat at this point, but he’s a complementary piece who should be a steady presence in the lineup and take quality at-bats. Defensively, he’s limited to DH and first-base duty, but with Ty France traded, that’s a fine fit for the Mariners.
Meanwhile, Schreck has appeared in 86 games between High-A Everett and Double-A Arkansas this season, batting .250 with 21 doubles, a triple, 12 home runs, 45 RBI, 61 walks, a .392 OBP, and an .836 OPS. A left-handed hitter, he was selected by the Mariners in the ninth round of the 2023 draft out of Vanderbilt University.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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