Mariners acquire veteran Turner from Toronto for OF prospect

BOSTON -- The most active team in this Trade Deadline season was at it again with a little over 24 hours before Tuesday’s 3 p.m. PT cutoff, as the Mariners swung another high-profile deal to acquire veteran corner infielder and designated hitter Justin Turner from the Blue Jays.

The 39-year-old was pulled during the second inning from the first game of Toronto’s doubleheader in Baltimore and is expected to join the Mariners on Tuesday at Fenway Park, where the club is playing a three-game series.

Going back to Toronto is outfielder RJ Schreck, a ninth-round Draft pick last year who was recently promoted to Double-A Arkansas. The Blue Jays are also sending cash in the deal to help offset the nearly $4.3 million that Turner is still due on a one-year, $13 million contract he signed last offseason.

TRADE DETAILS
Mariners acquire: 1B/3B Justin Turner, cash considerations
Blue Jays acquire: OF RJ Schreck (ranked SEA's No. 29 prospect)

“They’re in a dogfight,” Turner said of the Mariners to MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson. “It will be exciting to go out and be a part of it, to help them make a playoff run. I know the Mariners haven’t won the division in quite some time, so I’m hoping I can be a piece that helps them with that and make a deep run in the playoffs.”

Turner is expected to be an everyday fixture within a lineup that has sorely needed reinforcements, and one that’s already added All-Star outfielder Randy Arozarena in the Majors’ first Deadline blockbuster with the Rays late Thursday night.

Turner is hitting .257/.351/.373 (.724 OPS) with six homers, 17 doubles and 31 RBIs in 348 plate appearances across 90 games. But, like Arozarena, he’s been even better since June 1, with a slash line of .299/.399/.396 (.794 OPS), worth 134 wRC+ (league average is 100).

And perhaps of note above all, Turner carries just a 17.2% strikeout rate, which would easily be the lowest among everyday players on a Mariners club that has an MLB-worst 27.7% strikeout rate.

“I just think, 'pro' -- this guy's been around a long time,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “He's gone through a lot in his career. He's been on winning teams, a lot of winning teams. So there's a certain way that winning teams go about things. And I just think not only for what he can do on the field, which I still think he has plenty of left to give there, I think he'll hopefully give in other areas as well, helping out some of our young guys.”

A career third baseman, Turner has played only five games there this season and 11 games at first base, while serving as Toronto’s designated hitter for 71 games.

“We hope he can play a bunch of first base for us and see where that goes, and he'll DH some as well,” Servais said. “So we'll just wait and see how he feels when he gets here and see what the roster looks like.”

Turner carries 86 games of postseason experience among a young nucleus that mostly lacks it. Arozarena, meanwhile, has played in 33 playoff games and he put together one of the most historic runs in 2020, when his Rays eventually fell to Turner’s Dodgers in that year’s World Series. Seattle also added leverage reliever Yimi García from the Blue Jays on Friday, who has been on five playoff teams.

For all their talent, the Mariners remain a young clubhouse. And after dealing away Eugenio Suárez and Robbie Ray last offseason, they haven’t had a strong and successful veteran presence.

“Really, really valuable,” Servais said. “I think we've seen it happen in the past ... it can add a lot. Guys lean on players that have been through it before, and how they handle not just the good times, but the down times.”

Acquiring Turner addressed a key need -- for a corner infielder -- but president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto and general manager Justin Hollander might not be done.

“We've been very active in trying to see what pieces are out there that could help us and gauge interest from other clubs,” Servais said. “Sometimes there are deals to be had, sometimes there are not. But we have not been afraid, and I think that's sending the right message to our team and our fanbase.”

Earlier on Monday, the Mariners dealt Ty France to the Reds and got out from under the roughly $2.2 million he’s still due for 2024, sending Cincinnati a little over half while also acquiring Minor League catcher Andruw Salcedo.

As for Schreck, the 24-year-old has hit .250/.392/.444 with 12 homers in 86 games between High-A Everett and Double-A Arkansas this year.

Schreck spent four years at Duke, but because of the COVID year, he had another year of eligibility and transferred to Vanderbilt. The Mariners took him in the ninth round as a money saver, signing him for just $75,000. After a modest pro debut, he showed more offensive potential than expected this season, earning a recent promotion.