Eventually, Father Time comes for us all, and he's seemingly had Chicago Cubs veteran slugger Justin Turner cornered for quite a while now. More specifically, from the moment the Toronto Blue Jays re-routed the 2020 World Series champion to the Seattle Mariners before the 2024 trade deadline.
Shipping Turner to Seattle was among the eight deals the Blue Jays made ahead of the league's cut-off point to do so. And based on what we've seen from him in his brief stint with Seattle and early goings in Chicago, Toronto made a well-timed stock dump.
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Cubs veteran slugger Justin Turner's stock has reached an all-time low since the Blue Jays traded him
Turner was decent (at best) for a Mariners club that acquired him to bolster their lineup for a postseason push. He boasted a modest .264/.363/.403 with five home runs, 24 RBIs and a solid .766 OPS across 159 at-bats. Nonetheless, the utility man's tenure left much to be desired, especially after clobbering a 397-foot Grand Slam in his first contest in Seattle.
Things have only gotten more downhill for Turner since his time in Seattle. He signed a one-year, $6 million contract with the Cubs this past offseason and has been brutal for them in 2025. Outside of his walk-off hero moment in Chicago's recent 5-4 victory over the Miami Marlins, it's been tough sledding ... to put it mildly.
Batting .177/.293/.194 in 75 plate appearances this season, Turner has struggled mightily to see the ball. He's yet to hit a homer in a Cubs uniform. Moreover, the 40-year-old has a .487 OPS and 21.3 percent strikeout rate, far below and slightly above their respective league averages.
Fortunately, for Chicago, they don't need to rely on Turner at this stage of his successful 17-year MLB career. The Cubs have a potent offense that can score in bunches; they're tied with the Detroit Tigers for second in runs per game (5.55). Nonetheless, that doesn't hide that he's been a liability whenever they call on him to contribute.