The Mariners have actually obtained Justin Turner and money factors to consider from the Blue Jays, per statements from both clubs, with outfield possibility RJ Schreck going to the Blue Jays in return. Turner was betting the Jays at the time the trade was reported however was eliminated from the video game.

Turner has actually extremely continued to be an above-average player as he approaches his 40th birthday, which remains in November, though he has actually unsurprisingly trailed off a bit from his peak. With the Dodgers from 2014 to 2022, Turner struck .296/.375/.490 for a wRC+ of 137. He signed with the Red Sox in 2015 and slashed .276/.345/.455 for a 114 wRC+, an obvious drop-off from his operate in Los Angeles however still 14% above average.

He signed with the Jays entering into 2024, a one-year handle a $13MM warranty plus bonus offers based upon plate looks. His offense has actually taken another little dip however is still good. He is drawing strolls at an 11.2% clip this year while restricting his strikeouts to a 17.2% rate. His .253/.348/.370 batting line equates to a 109 wRC+.

The Mariners are 56-51 and fighting the Astros and Rangers in the American League West. Their pitching has actually been fantastic this year however the offense has actually been a frustration. Collectively, they are striking .218/.300/.368 for a wRC+ of 95, which puts them in the bottom 3rd of the league. Their 27.7% strikeout rate is quickly the worst in the majors. On top of those season-long battles, they just recently lost Julio Rodríguez and J.P. Crawford to the hurt list.

The club has actually been actively attempting to reconfigure the offense in current days, obtaining Randy Arozarena from the Rays and now Turner from the Jays. Given the club’s punch-out issue, it’s maybe not a coincidence that Turner has actually constantly been difficult to set out. He has a 15.4% strikeout rate in his profession and has actually never ever been greater than 17.6% in a complete season. For context, the big league average is 22.3% this year.

Turner has actually played all around the infield in his profession however the expectations of his glovework have actually naturally lessened as he has actually pressed even more into his late 30s. He has actually messed around at 2nd base in current seasons however the Jays haven’t put him there this year. He’s still made some looks at 3rd base this season however just 5 starts, with his last routine playing time there can be found in 2022. He just has 11 starts in the beginning base this year however that may simply be because Vladimir Guerrero Jr. exists most days, as Turner entered into 41 video games there for the Sox last season. Divish communicates on X that Seattle supervisor Scott Servais stated Turner will likely play initially in Seattle more than he carried out in Toronto.

The Mariners just recently traded Ty France to the Reds, opening their very first base area. They’ve been utilizing Tyler Locklear and Jason Vosler there in current days, and now Turner might delve into that mix. The club had actually at first prepared for Mitch Garver to be something near a daily DH this year however his underwhelming season has actually pushed him into more of a conventional backup catcher function. That implies there might likewise be DH at-bats to be shared in between Turner, Vosler and Locklear.

The Jays have actually remained in sell mode for a while, having actually currently turned Yimi García, Nate Pearson and Danny Jansen in current days. Now they have actually turned Turner for Schreck, a 24-year-old who the M’s chosen in the ninth-round of in 2015’s draft. He began this year in High-A and carried out extremely well at the plate. In his 344 plate looks, he drew strolls at a 16.6% rate while just starting out 13.7% of the time. He likewise struck 12 crowning achievement, resulting in a slash of .261/.401/.464 and a 148 wRC+. On top of that, he included 7 takes while playing all 3 outfield slots.

He then got bumped to Double-A and has a harsh slash of .143/.294/.250 there, however in a small sample of 8 video games with a .190 batting average on balls in play that is certainly not sustainable. The Jays will maybe bring him over to their own Double-A club in the coming days and expect much better assistance from the baseball gods.

Beyond the possibility, the Jays are most likely pleased to dump a few of of Turner’s agreement. There’s about $4.3MM delegated be paid and some part of that quantity will be deducted from the competitive balance tax computation. Daniel Kramer of MLB.com communicated on X that the M’s are taking in all that staying cash, however that was prior to the 2 clubs revealing that some money factors to consider are included.

With the trades of Turner, Jansen, García and Pearson, the Jays have actually made considerable development towards ducking under the tax line this year. RosterResource approximates that they are presently simply under $242MM, putting them less than $5MM far from the $237MM base limit, though the money going to Seattle in the Turner trade needs to change that calculus.

Between now and tomorrow’s due date, they might still move leasings Yusei Kikuchi, Kevin Kiermaier and Trevor Richards. They might likewise think about offers for guys like Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Chad Green or Chris Bassitt, who are each making noteworthy wages through 2025. If they handle to reset their CBT status this year, it would indicate they might pay the tax in 2025 as a “first-time” payor rather of a “third-time” payor while likewise having lower charges for signing complimentary representatives that declined certifying deals. MLBTR checked out Toronto’s CBT scenario a number of weeks back.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic initially reported on X that Turner was going to the Mariners. Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times initially passed on that a possibility was included that it was Schreck (X link one and 2).