Dodgers legend signs with international baseball league

Former Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Justin Turner agreed to a deal with the Tijuana Toros of the Mexican League on Saturday, according to AM 570’s David Vassegh. The move comes after Turner remained unsigned into the early portion of the 2026 season following his run with the Chicago Cubs in 2025.

The 41-year-old is coming off a disappointing campaign in Chicago. Over 80 games, he recorded a .219 batting average with three home runs and 18 RBIs over 169 at-bats, producing a .219/.288/.314 slash line. In 191 plate appearances, he fared poorly against right-handed pitching, hitting just .141 without a home run, though he maintained a .759 OPS versus left-handers. His overall production resulted in a 71 wRC+, his first below-average offensive season in over a decade, and his first season below replacement level by bWAR.

Nonetheless, Turner reached a major milestone in 2025, hitting his 200th career home run. Over his 17-year MLB career, he has compiled a .283/.360/.454 slash line with an .814 OPS and 122 OPS+, along with 201 home runs and 831 RBIs in 1,758 games (6,502 plate appearances).

Turner is best known for his nine-year run with the Dodgers from 2014 to 2022, where he blossomed from a fringe player into a mainstay of the franchise. He earned two All-Star selections, finished in the top 10 of NL MVP voting twice, and won the 2017 NLCS MVP. During the Dodgers’ three World Series appearances between 2017 and 2020, Turner posted an .849 OPS across 83 Fall Classic plate appearances. In the 2020 championship series, he fashioned a searing .320/.346/.720 performance to help win the title.

Following his departure from Los Angeles, Turner played for the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, and the Cubs. His 2025 season also included a clubhouse leadership role on a Cubs team that reached the postseason.

Turner now joins a Tijuana roster that previously utilized players like Raudy Read and Rangelo Ravelo at first base. The Mexican League season begins April 16, with the Toros opening their schedule on April 17 in Saltillo.