Trea Turner figures to be one of the most sought-after free agents this offseason, but some teams may be more well-positioned to land him than others for one simple reason.
Turner discussed his free agency and admitted that he would have a strong interest in returning to the East Coast, though he did make sure to note that the Los Angeles Dodgers remain firmly in the running for his services. Turner admitted that he had voiced his preference for playing on the East Coast prior to being traded to the Dodgers, but that the primary reason was to try to influence that process.
“Yeah, I’m an East Coast guy. But with free agency, you get a chance to pick and control it as much as you can in your entire career,” Turner said, via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register. “I’m open to anything really. Everything is in play.
“That was more for a trade and an extension in a place I didn’t really know. I didn’t want to get traded and then get offered an extension right away and not know anything about the city and stuff. … To me, that (decision) would be all based off money and that’s not how I want to make my decision. Obviously, that’s a factor but a lot more goes into it. I think it was more of that. Yeah, I’m from the East Coast. Would I like to go back? Sure. But I think L.A.’s been really good to me.”
Turner is leaving the door open for a return to the Dodgers, and he does genuinely seem to be getting more comfortable there. At the same time, it seems quite clear that his desire to head back east is real. Turner is a Florida native, and he met his wife at NC State, so his East Coast ties run deep.
Tuenre has become a favorite in Los Angeles for his smooth slides. He’s also having a great year, hitting .305 with 24 stolen bases. The Dodgers would no doubt love to retain him, but they might have to overcome a geographic disadvantage in order to do so.
