Trea Turner is no longer the Washington Nationals cornerstone shortstop. Saturday he made his first start as a Los Angeles Dodger, playing second base.
It’s a drastic turn of events that no one saw before a Peter Gammons report a few days ahead of the July 30 trade deadline. Turner was viewed as one of two cornerstone rocks for the Nationals alongside Juan Soto.
However, when Gammons reported that Nationals ownership was unwilling to give Turner a long-term deal, it was evidently clear the relationship between the All-Star infielder and the team he helped win a World Series in 2019 had soured.
The Nationals reportedly last offered Turner, who is still under contract through the 2022 season, a six-year deal at about $100 million in the spring of 2020. Turner declined the offer which was far below market value for one of the league’s top-tiered shortstops.
Why the Nationals never countered with another offer is the topic of discussion. According to general manager Mike Rizzo, Turner and his agents wanted to table contract talks until the shortstop market shook out. However, Turner sang a different tune when asked by reporters on Saturday.
“I said I would talk about an extension whenever and waited for that to happen, and it didn’t happen,” Turner said per Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post. “So I’ve been told a lot of things over the last two years and for me, actions speak louder than words.”
Trea Turner was traded on July 30 along with Nationals ace Max Scherzer to the Dodgers for four prospects, including pitcher Josiah Gray and catcher Keibert Ruiz.
For what it’s worth, Rizzo said in March, the Nats were planning to offer both Turner and Soto long-term extensions. But it’s obvious there was no offer to at least Turner. Instead of spending his entire career with the Nats, who acquired him in a trade from San Diego in 2014, Turner moves on to LA under contract through 2022 before he hits free agency.
