Mariners in talks with Justin Turner to bring him back next season

A report has confirmed the Seattle Mariners are already holding discussions with Justin Turner, in the hope of agreeing a deal for 2025.

No one is under any illusion that the Seattle Mariners’ number one priority for the offseason, is to find a way to bolster their offensive arsenal. At the end of the day, their lack of a consistently effective lineup cost them significantly, as they finished just one game back of the playoff field in the American League. (Albeit, the tie-breakers meant they in reality finished two games back.)

With this in mind, the Mariners have already started making relevant moves, including declining Jorge Polanco’s 2025 option and allowing Luis Urías to leave. However, as much as few people will disagree with these decisions, at some point you need to start adding instead of subtracting.

Along these lines, this includes bringing back players who the Mariners firmly believe can still help the ball club. This includes Justin Turner, who arrived from the Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline and proved to be an excellent addition.

Hollander and the Mariners want Turner back

Well, fans will be happy to find out that the Mariners are indeed working on persuading Turner to return to Seattle in 2025. As per a report from Daniel Kramer of MLB.com, general manager Justin Hollander said:

“We’ve already had discussions with JT and reiterated our interest that we expressed at the end of the season. He’s a player that connected with a lot of different parts of our clubhouse and really did make a connection with our team, with our coaches [and] with our front office. We’d love to have JT back.”

There had been some speculation about if the 39-year-old would even play full stop next year, after 16 seasons in the Majors. However, it was subsequently confirmed that he is fully committed to returning in 2025.

Of course, just because Turner will be playing again, this does not guarantee that it will be with the Mariners. Make no mistake though, he would be an invaluable re-signing with the combination of his offensive prowess, extensive veteran experience and leadership qualities.

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Productivity still there for the 2020 Wold Series champion

Allowing for the fact that the 2017 MLCS MVP only played 48 games in Seattle, he finished third among all Mariners regulars in batting average, OPS and OPS+. (He was also second in OBP.) His 128 OPS+ in particular was also noteworthy, for being his best with any club he played for since 2020.

There will understandably be those who question how productive a player such as Turner can be, given that he is about to turn 40. However, we would point out that he hit a career-high 96 RBI in the season before last. (His 23 home runs in 2023 were also the second-highest total of his time in the Majors.)

Assuming the two-time MLB All-Star reciprocates the interest from the Mariners, there is the not so small factor of what it will cost to re-sign him. For some context, he received $13 million guaranteed last season, from the Mariners and Blue Jays combined.

Do you agree with the Mariners’ attempts to re-sign Justin Tuner? Either way, how likely do you think it is that he will actually be back in Seattle for the 2025 season? Let us know in the comments section below.