{"id":67164,"date":"2025-07-09T07:00:59","date_gmt":"2025-07-09T07:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=67164"},"modified":"2025-07-09T07:00:59","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T07:00:59","slug":"cubs-may-have-to-make-tough-call-on-beloved-clubhouse-guy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=67164","title":{"rendered":"Cubs May Have to Make Tough Call on Beloved Clubhouse Guy"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post-featured-container-id\">\n<div id=\"post-featured\">\n<div>\n<figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Justin-Turner.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 820px) 95vw, 780px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Justin-Turner.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780 780w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Justin-Turner.jpg?quality=15&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Justin-Turner.jpg?quality=35&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1350 1350w\" alt=\"Cubs May Have to Make Tough Call on Beloved Clubhouse Guy\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Getty<\/p>\n<p>Chicago Cubs veteran Justin Turner<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">When the <\/span>Chicago Cubs <span data-contrast=\"auto\"> signed <\/span>Justin Turner <span data-contrast=\"auto\"> to a <\/span>one-year, $6 million contract <span data-contrast=\"auto\"> back in January, the reasoning was sound.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The Cubs were hoping to squeeze one more year out of a veteran hitter with a reputation for clutch at-bats and a steady clubhouse presence. Turner checked the boxes on paper \u2014 World Series champion, two-time All-Star, a professional at-bat every night.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cHe\u2019s been a really good player for a long time. He\u2019s someone that we can really learn a lot from, just his experience,\u201d said Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson. \u201cHe\u2019s just such a pro at what he does. That, I think, will really, really impact this group.\u201d <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">But halfway through the 2025 season, <\/span>it\u2019s getting harder <span data-contrast=\"auto\"> for the Cubs to <\/span>justify keeping <span data-contrast=\"auto\"> Turner\u2019s name in the lineup card, and multiple reports suggest the front office could be on the verge of cutting bait.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>MLB Analysts Suggest Justin Turner Should be on \u2018DFA-Watch\u2019<\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In a column Sunday for FanSided, Zachary Rotman <\/span>listed Turner high <span data-contrast=\"auto\"> among \u201c5 Cubs players who won\u2019t be on the roster after the trade deadline.\u201d Rotman highlighted Turner\u2019s struggles at the plate, slashing just .208\/.290\/.264 with one home run and 12 RBIs this season, and he stated that Turner \u201cshould be on DFA-watch.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cIt was fair to give him some leash, given his track record, but it\u2019s July,\u201d Rotman wrote. \u201cIt\u2019s time for the Cubs to admit this offseason mistake and find a better fit.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Just Baseball recently named Turner, now 40 years old, one of five \u201c<\/span>aging stars who look washed <span data-contrast=\"auto\">,\u201d a tough but fair label for a hitter with a .554 OPS\u00a0through nearly three months of baseball. The Cubs cannot afford to spend a roster spot on a nonproductive player, no matter how much of a clubhouse guy he may be.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The plan when Turner signed was for him to platoon at first base with Michael Busch, while also splitting time at designated hitter and as a backup third baseman. Jed Hoyer and the front office hoped Turner could be a mentor for the team\u2019s young core, praising his presence as a stabilizer, and early on, that leadership made a difference.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201c[He\u2019s] just like a baseball rat \u2026 in a good way,\u201d Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. \u201cHe loves the game. He loves to talk about the game \u2026 just [his] engagement on the bench during the game. \u2026 We\u2019ve got a very engaged team \u2026 and I think he\u2019s kind of at the center of that.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Justin Turner Has Provided Leadership, But Little Offense for Chicago<\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Unfortunately, Turner simply hasn\u2019t produced at the plate, and with the Cubs expected to be aggressive and add pieces before the trade deadline, they might have to make the very tough decision to let him go. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">There\u2019s no stat for glue guys \u2014 but every contender needs them. Even in a lineup that <\/span>leads the league <span data-contrast=\"auto\"> in runs per game, the Cubs know how much it matters to have a veteran voice who keeps the bench focused and the dugout loose when it needs to be.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Still, the numbers are the numbers, and .208 at age 40 with one homer won\u2019t hold off Father Time or the trade deadline forever. While the team\u2019s offense as a whole has done enough to keep them in the fight, every roster spot is precious when you\u2019re chasing October.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">If the Cubs make the call soon, it\u2019ll close the book on an experiment that was always built on a short window. Turner bet he had enough left to contribute. The Cubs bet his intangibles could offset what his bat no longer provides. Both bets still count \u2014 but at some point, the runs have to come from somewhere else.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Dave Benson Dave Benson is a longtime writer with over three decades of experience in a variety of mediums, including 15 years covering high school, collegiate and minor league sports in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Dave is also a licensed English teacher and spent a few years teaching at the middle school level. More about Dave Benson<\/p>\n<h2>More Heavy on Cubs<\/h2>\n<p>Loading more stories<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MLB analysts cite Justin Turner&#8217;s offensive struggles to suggest the Chicago Cubs may release him, especially with trade moves expected.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":67165,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67164","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Cubs May Have to Make Tough Call on Beloved Clubhouse Guy - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=67164\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cubs May Have to Make Tough Call on Beloved Clubhouse Guy - 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