The San Diego Padres just finished a historic run that took them all the way to the National League Championship Series, where they even defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers. The team is also seeking to maybe benefit from Trea Turner, a standout from their rivals up the road, as free agency heats up.
The shortstop is one of many notable free agents this winter, and it seems increasingly doubtful that he will stay in Los Angeles. In fact, the signing of the quick infielder by the Padres seems to be a top priority.
Turner visited San Diego twice in recent weeks, according to Dennis Lin and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic:
According to major-league sources quoted by The Athletic, “The Padres have met twice in person with free-agent shortstop Trea Turner ahead of next week’s Winter Meetings in San Diego, indicating that an unexpected suitor has a real interest in signing a player who could command this offseason’s second-largest contract.”
Although the details of the Padres’ meetings with Turner are unclear, sources claim that they did not occur in San Diego. But the fact that there have been several encounters indicates that there may be some shared interest. Requests for comment from A.J. Preller, president of baseball operations for the Padres, were not immediately returned.
The Padres have had two in-person meetings with Trea Turner, sources tell me and @Ken_Rosenthal. San Diego appears to have legitimate interest in signing the star shortstop. https://t.co/cr5ndYmYug
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) December 3, 2022
Turner appears to be San Diego’s priority, despite Rosenthal’s earlier report that Xander Bogaerts is already a target. In 2022, Ha-Seong Kim did a good job filling in at shortstop for the injured or suspended Fernando Tatis Jr., but Turner would be a valuable addition to the Padres’ all-star lineup.
In addition to playing faultless defense, the former first-round pick hit.298 in 2022 with 21 home runs and 100 RBI. He is considered to be one of the top players in the league and is predicted to attract a deal of $300 million. San Diego, will you pay up? We’ll have to wait and see. They’ve previously made significant investments. Who is to guarantee it won’t occur again?
These supporters have experienced playoff baseball, so if Trea Turner ended up at Petco, the Dodgers may very likely be defeated for the second consecutive season.
