Justin Turner ready to bring bat, beard and experience to Blue Jays

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If there is anyone who knows about the highs and lows of playoff baseball, it is new Blue Jay Justin Turner.

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So as much as the team’s most recent free-agent acquisition was brought in to help the Jays find a way to have an impact well into October, the 39-year-old veteran is well aware of the challenges tied to that assignment.

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In nine years with the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers, the red-bearded third baseman captured just one World Series title despite being on a team favoured to win multiple championships.

“Maybe this is a little bit of a cop out because we only won one time out of the nine, but it’s like a crapshoot,” Turner said Friday on a media Zoom call. “It’s tough to be the last team standing in baseball and I think that’s pretty evident by the number of different champions we’ve had over the past 10-15 years.

“You’ve got to get hot at the right time. You have to have everyone pulling the right strings. If you want to win a World Series, you’re going to have to swallow some pride and do whatever it takes, whether that’s a sexy role or not. I promise you won’t care about it when you’re holding that trophy.”

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That said, with 86 playoffs games over 19 series in his nine years with the Dodgers — including that lone championship in 2020 — Turner brings vast and varied experience to the Toronto clubhouse in an ongoing search to hit the next level following crushing playoff disappointment the past two seasons.

And, In his 20 minutes or so meeting with the Toronto media, the personable Californian seemed enthused about his one-year deal with the Jays.

He said the groundwork for general manager Ross Atkins’ biggest move of the off-season to date began with a Zoom call in December and, in keeping with the crawling winter of transactions, finally resulted in a pact earlier this week.

After a season primarily spent in a DH role with the Red Sox, Turner sounds ready to tackle any and all assignments with his new team, a wish likely to come to fruition.

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“I like to keep my goals and expectations pretty simple,” Turner said. “My job is to be available for (manager John Schneider) in any way he needs me for as many games as I possibly can. So I want to be healthy. I want be on the field for 162 (games) and I want to let Schneider know he can plug me in wherever he needs me to play. If that’s playing a lot of third base. I’ll be ready to play third base. If it’s spelling (Vladimir Guerrero Jr.) at first, I’ll be ready for that. If it’s mainly a DH role, that’s great too.

“I get asked all the time what’s my favourite position and it’s literally being in the lineup. I really don’t care where I’m playing (in the field).”

The Jays value the versatility Turner brings as well as his offensive prowess that was still stout enough to deliver 23 home runs with the Red Sox in 2023. But he’ll also be looked upon for leadership, a seasoned voice in a clubhouse stocked with players looking to take the next step.

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To that end, Turner says he favours a more subtle approach to being an influence with a new team.

“Last year (in Boston) was the first year I was walking into a new clubhouse in a long time and having to meet a lot of new faces,” Turner said. “I played with the Dodgers for a long, long time and won a World Series with them. I made a couple of all-star teams with them.

“So the stuff on the back of the card is there, obviously. But that doesn’t mean when you walk in a room people just respect you because you did some cool things in the past.

“That’s kind of the way I go about it and I look at it. I’ve got to build and work on these relationships and create a trust to where I earn that respect. It’s not just given to me by walking through the door. I want to earn their respect just as I’m sure they want to earn my respect.”

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