How Adding Justin Turner Impacts the Cubs’ Roster

Though it comes after missing out on Alex Bregman, the Chicago Cubs adding Justin Turner isn’t really a one-to-one kind of pivot.

There are differences between the two. For one, Turner will be playing in his age-40 season in 2025. Meanwhile, Bregman will turn just 31 years old at the end of March.

In addition, Bregman is coming off a Gold Glove season at third base. He would’ve been an easy fit for the current Cubs’ roster. On the other hand, while Turner has spent the vast majority of his big league career at the hot corner, the last two seasons have seen him spend most of his on-field time at first base. Most of his overall appearances came as the designated hitter.

At the same time, Bregman’s status and age just earned him a three-year, $120 million deal. That’s a massive chunk of the Boston Red Sox‘s salary. Turner comes at a lower cost, though. He agreed to join the Cubs on a one-year, $6 million deal, per multiple reports Tuesday. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported he even “turned down more lucrative offers elsewhere because he wanted to be a Cub.”

So, no, Turner doesn’t make up for Bregman choosing to go elsewhere. It’d be unreasonable to expect Turner to match Bregman’s potential contributions.

But that doesn’t mean he won’t have an impact on this ballclub.

Turner’s Bat Still Plays

It’s interesting to see how he blossomed at an older age.

He debuted in 2009 at 24 years old, and he didn’t post at least a league-average wRC+ (100) in any of his first five years.

Then Turner joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2014 (age-29 season), and he became a different hitter. Over his nine seasons in Los Angeles, he never posted a wRC+ below 123. In six of those years, his wRC+ was 131 or higher (three times above 150). He posted very strong strikeout and walk rates, and he was good for close to four Wins Above Replacement (FanGraphs) in most seasons.

A two-time All-Star, Turner was a big presence in some great Dodgers lineups.

But even in the two years since he left Los Angeles, he’s still been a productive hitter. With Boston in 2023, he had a 115 wRC+. Splitting 2024 between the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners, he still posted a 117 wRC+.

Age eventually catches up with everyone. You can see a bit of a decline for Turner offensively over the last few seasons, as he’s approached 40. But even those years were still solid for him at the plate.

The Cubs aren’t asking Turner to be what he was in LA. They most likely won’t even ask him to be an everyday presence in the lineup.

But as he’s shown in recent years, he can still be a productive hitter when called upon.

A New Backup First Baseman

Though Michael Busch emerged as the starter at first base for the Cubs last season, Cody Bellinger gave them a high-level alternative behind him in case deep struggles or an injury occurred. But with Bellinger getting traded to the New York Yankees this winter, there was no clear backup.

Jon Berti made three appearances at first base for the Yankees in the 2024 postseason. However, those were his first times playing the spot in the pros. That’s just not much experience.

According to Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times, Alexander Canario took some reps there last week during spring training drills in Arizona. But he’s never even played the infield at the professional level. It’d be pretty premature to say he’s a real option at first.

That’s where Turner comes in.

At the Cubs Convention last month, when asked about first-base depth, general manager Carter Hawkins noted that “there’s a lot of guys out there that can play first base at the major league level that, if we had to dip into that, we would consider it.” Clearly, Turner fit the bill.

Again, though most of his career has been spent at third base, he’s played the other corner-infield spot more often over the last two seasons. In fact, 616 of his 755 on-field innings in that time came at first. And he’s been a fine defensive option there, combining for five Defensive Runs Saved and one Out Above Average from 2023-24.

All in all, Turner presents a real, strong backup option at first.

A Veteran Bench Option With Postseason Experience

Also at the Convention, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer discussed how he envisioned the bench’s makeup.

Though there’s a group of highly-regarded prospects at the upper levels, Hoyer doesn’t necessarily want them sitting on the big league team’s bench. Triple-A isn’t the end game for them, but it might be the best course of action to start the year.

Hoyer doesn’t want to limit their opportunities, but as far as building a bench goes, “I think you have to look at guys that have done that in the past, or more veteran guys.”

Turner gives them that player and comes with a long career of success — including in the playoffs.

Which Cubs fan could forget Turner’s three-run, walk-off homer off John Lackey in Game 2 of the 2017 NLCS? That was a long time ago, but you’re still talking about a respected veteran who’s seen it all in the biggest moments (don’t forget he was that year’s NLCS co-MVP).

Yes, the Cubs are bringing him in to contribute to this year’s ballclub. They want him to help get them back to the postseason. That’s a big part of his job.

But another important aspect is the veteran leadership he’ll provide. That goes for anyone on the roster, but especially someone like Matt Shaw, who’s still the favorite to start the year at third. Shaw could certainly lean on Turner as he transitions to the big leagues, particularly since it’ll likely come at the hot corner.

Again, Turner probably won’t be the addition Bregman could’ve been. He seems ticketed for a bench role. In that, he’ll improve the depth at both corners, and he can also slot in at DH.

Turner isn’t the biggest addition the Cubs could’ve made, but he should provide a boost to the roster nonetheless.