Justin Turner is worried about the state of MLB free agency
This year’s free agent market for MLB has been extremely slow. There’s a plethora of high-quality talent still on the market as Spring Training is underway, which makes Blue Jays hitter Justin Turner concerned.
Turner told Shi Davidi of Sportsnet that it isn’t a good look that there’s so much talent on the market, especially since it’s now mid-February.
“It’s just frustrating,” Turner said Monday, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. “It’s frustrating, obviously, for the guys in the free-agency class. It’s frustrating for a lot of teams around the league trying to figure out where some of these guys are going to go. It’s kind of a little bit of a black eye on baseball.”
Via Sportsnet
The 39-year-old had first-hand experience with the slow offseason market after signing a one-year, $13 million contract with the Blue Jays at the end of January. With camp underway, many players such as Blake Snell, Cody Bellinger, and Matt Chapman have yet to sign with a team.
“You have all these guys that are All-Star, Cy Young, batting title, Rookie of the Year guys on the free-agent market, and they’re having a hard time finding a job. I don’t think it’s a good look.”
Turner Via Sportsnet
Having these big-name players still on the market in February is ridiculous. Once they finally do sign, it turns into a rush attempt to get up to speed with their new team. It’s just asking for an injury or miscommunication to happen.
It also makes the offseason incredibly boring. Outside of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, there’s barely been any movement. When MLB is posting the news of Jurickson Profar signing a deal, you know it’s slow.
Before Commissioner Rob Manfred steps down in 2029, he wants there to be a free agency deadline around December. That way, there’s a “flurry” of moves happening all at once, and it’ll prevent players like Snell and Bellinger from being on the market this long.
Of course, the slimeball agent Scott Boras doesn’t agree and wants teams to overpay, even if it means waiting until Spring Training. It’s frustrating for not only the fans, but clearly the players such as Turner.
This has happened before
This isn’t the first time this has happened either. Remember the 2018-19 offseason? Players such as Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, and Patrick Corbin were some of the big free agents on the market. Machado didn’t sign with the Padres until Feb. 21. Harper didn’t sign with the Phillies until the second day of March.
Setting a free agency deadline does push players into a corner and forces them to sign potentially lower deals. But is it really worth it to be jobless until Spring Training and beyond? Either way, it’s another problem to add to MLB’s countless list.
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