November 4th, 2022 at 8:00 am 
by Ron Cervenka On Thursday afternoon, Dodgers third baseman (and more recently designated hitter) Justin Turner was a guest on AM 570 LA Sports Petros and Money live radio.
As every Dodgers fan knows, the extremely popular soon-to-be (on November 23) 38-year-old Long Beach, CA native and seventh-round draft pick in 2006 by the Cincinnati Reds out of Cal State Fullerton became a free agent when the final out of the 2022 NL West Division Series was recorded back on October 15; a game in which he went 1-for-3 with a walk, but left three runners in scoring position in the Dodgers 5-3 loss to the Padres that clinched the Division for San Diego.
Turner finished the 2022 season, his 14th at baseball’s highest level, with an impressive slash-line of: .278/.350/.438/.788, that included 13 home runs, 36 doubles, and 81 RBIs.
During Thursday’s live radio show, Turner was asked the burning question that has been on every Dodgers – and Justin Turner – fan’s mind:
“What’s next for you? The club has the option (for 2023). Have they talked to you about picking it up yet?”
Turner wasted no time answering the $16 million (or $2 million buyout) question:
“They have not, so, I don’t really … I’m kind of in limbo right now just waiting to see what happens. I know, I think they have the five days after the World Series ends to make that decision, and I haven’t heard a whole lot yet, so, umm, I’m not really sure.”
The show hosts then asked Turner the other burning question:
“If this thing went sideways, would you want to continue to play somewhere else?”
Turner sincerely answered:
“I definitely want to continue to play. I’m hoping and everything works out, and it’s in a Dodger uniform, because obviously I’ve spent the last nine years here, and my career has taken off here, our foundation has been doing wonderful things here, and we want to continue that, and it would be great to end my career as a Dodger.
“But things don’t always go as planned and we don’t know what’s going to happen. But I do still feel like I love playing the game, I love showing up every day, I love the teaching aspect of it, spending time with younger guys, and spending time in the cage, and talking about it. The way my second half went, I definitely know that there’s more in the tank and I want to keep going.”
Stay tuned…
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Posted in 
Not gonna lie, a Dodgers team without their honorary captain would be weird. That said, I believe that Andrew will be moving on from JT, but I am often wrong about these things.
(This comment is from Jesse who, for some reason, was unable to post on the site):
All things considered, Turner was still a 2 WAR player in 2022 (1.9 Baseball Reference, 2.4 Fangraphs) and even with his miserable start with the bat his wRC+ was 123 (23% above ML average for runs created – Fangraphs). He may be 38 in a little over two weeks, but he really takes care of his body. I hope he and the Dodgers can work out an extension that will significantly reduce his current AAV ($16M) but give him more money over a longer period. Miguel Vargas third base fielding % in minors career is .916 (.919 last season at OKC), his best positions defensively are first base and left field. If Turner leaves then Muncy and Chris Taylor are the third base options — not ideal for a team wanting a World Championship in 2023.
If anyone else is having an issue posting or replying to a comment, please let me know ASAP. Thanks.