The Seattle Mariners have acquired designated hitter Justin Turner and cash from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for outfield prospect RJ Schreck, the teams announced on Monday.
The Mariners will take on the remainder of Turner’s 2024 salary, estimated at approximately $4.3 million, according to MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer.
Turner, who signed a one-year contract with Toronto in the offseason, has hit six home runs with 31 RBIs and posted a .724 OPS over 90 games this season.
“Coming over here, we all had different intentions on where the season was going to go. … As a guy on an expiring contract, you expected this could happen,” Turner said Monday, as reported by Hazel Mae of Sportsnet. “… This is (the) first time in (my) career I’ve been traded in middle of (a) season.”
He also remarked: “I feel like I let an entire country down.”
At 39 years old, Turner brings extensive playoff experience to the Mariners, who are aiming for their first AL West title since 2001. Turner, a two-time All-Star, has a career postseason slash line of .279/.370/.460 with 13 home runs and 42 RBIs across 315 at-bats. He won a World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020.
Mariners manager Scott Servais noted that Turner may see more playing time at first base compared to his role in Toronto, as reported by Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times. Turner started 12 games at first base for the Blue Jays, including the game in which he was traded.
RJ Schreck, 24, is not listed among the Mariners’ top 30 prospects according to Baseball America. In 2024, Schreck has hit 12 home runs with 45 RBIs and an .836 OPS in 86 combined games at Single-A and Double-A.
