Eight days and counting until Dodgers pitchers and catchers report to the training facilities at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona. This will be the first opportunity fans have to see how the potential player puzzle pieces will fit as the new team starts to come together once Spring Training gets underway.

There are a number of players who joined other teams through free agency this off-season that will be sorely missed. But there was one name that frequently came up during the FanFest player interviews at Dodger Stadium this past Saturday – recent 2022 Roberto Clemente Award Winner and 2020 World Series Champion third baseman Justin Turner, who signed a two-year contract with the Boston Red Sox this off-season.

Turner, a Southern California native, spent nine seasons with the Dodgers and became tightly woven into the fabric of Los Angeles and its community. Everyone feels strongly about the loss, but no one can put it into better words than his now former teammates.

Dodgers infielder and 2020 World Series Champion Max Muncy summed up his feelings about losing his friend and unofficial team captain with the media during FanFest this weekend.

“It’s been interesting, you know. We still have our group chat with the full team from last year, Muncy told reporters. “Whenever someone would get a deal, the whole team would go nuts, ‘Yeah man, there you go, congratulations guys.’ It’s sad to see everyone leave, but you’re so happy for these guys.

“You know, you spend every single day with them starting here in about three weeks until the end of October,” Muncy continued. “You know, you develop such a relationship that when they go out and they get their deals like that you can’t be anything but happy for them. You know, it hurts to see them leave but I know that we also have more than enough pieces to fill their shoes and I think it will be a fun, exciting year.”

During his five seasons with the Dodgers Muncy has spent time all over the infield, but shared third base with Turner towards the end of the past season. He may be the leading contender to take over ‘The Hot Corner’ in JT’s absence.

Catcher Austin Barnes, who caught the final out to win the 2020 World Series, is perhaps one of the longest-tenured players with the team at eight years, along with battery mate and future Hall of Fame pitcher Clayton Kershaw. He has spent considerable quality time with Turner across the seasons and shared his perspective with the media.

“Yeah, I mean I love JT,” Barnes expressed. ‘He was definitely a voice for a lot of people.

“Yeah, it’ll be hard,” Barnes conceded. “But you know what? We’ll figure it out. We’ll adapt and figure out who we are as a team. And you know leadership, stuff like that, we’ve got guys like Mookie (Betts) and Freddie (Freeman) – they’ve been playing baseball in the big leagues at a high level for so long. You know, I think we have a really good team and I think everybody’s really confident that we can do it.”

Freeman, a six-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger, and Gold Glove first baseman, had thoughtful replies when asked a couple of times by media on Saturday how the team will be able to replace Turner’s voice in the clubhouse.

“You know, to replace Justin Turner, we’ll start with Justin because what he means to the Los Angeles Dodgers, to the community, can’t replace that. You just can’t,” Freeman reflected. “Boston Red Sox got a good one. He was such a big part of me coming over here and for him to be gone after one year, I’m like ‘geez, you weren’t supposed to leave after me being here for one year.’ But Red Sox got a good one. They’re going to love him just as much as we love him here.”

“You can’t replace. You can hopefully, as a group, pick up the void,” Freeman continued. “There’s going to be a hole. It’s Justin Turner – he’s been here for nine years – clutch hit after clutch hit after clutch hit. And the community, it seems like every day he was coming in and he had something going on. And what he means to the community and then he comes in and performs at night, too. That’s hard to do. We’re going to miss him, LA fans are going to miss him. He’s only gone for a year or two, so we’re going to get him back soon. But I can’t tell you what we’re going to do to fill it. It’s just, naturally, those things happen.”

Needless to say, players and fans alike will miss @redturn2 in the lineup, yet remain optimistic for the coming season. There are some big shoes to fill, but the Dodgers have no shortage of talent.

The soon-to-be former teammates even got a chance to spend the day together during the Seventh Annual Justin Turner Golf Classic on Monday afternoon. During that extremely popular event, one of the Dodgers’ new talent, 25-year-old right-hander Ryan Pepiot, even hit a hole in one, the first ever during Turner’s annual charity event.

But no matter what, The Boys in Blue will work together towards the goal they have every year – to bring another World Series trophy back to Los Angeles.

Let’s go Dodgers!

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