The Mets entered this offseason with many personnel decisions, and one of the larger ones was who would be playing third base come Opening Day.
At the winter meetings, new President of Baseball Operations David Stearns said they planned to keep the third base job in-house.
“I think it is important for us as an organization to learn about our younger players and to provide them with opportunity at the major league level,” Stearns said.“That doesn’t have to be all on Opening Day, but over the course of the year, we’ve got to learn about these guys.”
However, that plan had a wrench put in it on Sunday.
While attempting to steal second base during a Dominican Winter League game, Ronny Mauricio stopped himself before limping off the field.
On Tuesday, it was confirmed that Mauricio suffered a torn ACL and would be out for at least the first half of 2024, if not the whole season.
With Mauricio now out, plans have likely changed, and according to Mike Puma of the New York Post, the Mets are engaged in talks with a former third baseman.
The Mets are talking with Justin Turner
According to Puma, the Mets are engaged in discussions with the two-time all-star after the blue and orange initiated contact with the 39-year-old camp earlier in the offseason.
Turner played for the Mets from 2011-14 before having nine successful seasons for the Dodgers, where the California native became a consistent bat in the middle of their lineup while making multiple all-star appearances and winning the 2020 World Series.
The 39-year-old spent 2023 in Boston, where he had another impressive campaign, slashing .276/.345/.455 with 23 home runs and 96 RBIs across 146 games.
Should the Mets sign Turner?
Signing Turner would be an excellent move for the blue and orange.
The 39-year-old is still an incredibly productive hitter and would provide insurance at third base but fill the role of designated hitter quite nicely.
In addition, Turner has shown that he can play first base at an above-average level, making him the perfect backup for Pete Alonso.
If Turner is willing to come to New York on an affordable deal, he could be the perfect veteran for a Mets squad retooling in 2024 and looking to win it all in 2025.