The 17-year career of two-time All-Star Justin Turner, widely praised for his clubhouse leadership, may have reached its end Thursday when the Chicago Cubs declined his mutual option.
Turner, a .283 lifetime hitter with a batting average that ranks him 19th among active players, now enters the free-agent market. The 40-year-old, who turns 41 in less than three weeks, could also choose to retire, though according to a report by MLB Trade Rumors, the highly respected veteran has given no public indication of his plans.
As of Thursday morning, Turner had officially elected free agency, according to an announcement by the MLB Players Association. The MLBPA did not specify whether the club or Turner himself had declined the mutual option, which would have paid the 2006 Cincinnati Reds seventh-round draft pick $10 million for the 2025 season.
Turner appeared in only 80 games for the Cubs this year and played just 14 games at his natural position of third base, where he has played 990 of his 1,758 career games. Nonetheless, he was credited with playing “a key role in helping the Cubs gel as a team and find an identity en route to the club’s first playoff berth in five years,” according to MLB.com Cubs reporter Jordan Bastian.
“The true teachers and the true teammates, they do that part without making themselves the center of attention,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told Bastian during the Cubs’ postseason run. “Justin has a really great way of doing that. And that comes across as so authentic to his teammates, and that’s why it’s so impactful.”
The Cubs finished the season with 92 wins but ended up five games behind their regional rivals, the Milwaukee Brewers, in the National League Central. Chicago was eliminated from the playoffs by the Brewers in a full five-game Division Series matchup.
Playing for his fifth team in four seasons, Turner spent the majority of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was considered “the Dodgers’ main clubhouse leader during his tenure with the team,” according to writer Mark Timmons of the LA Dodger Talk site.
In nine seasons with the Dodgers, Turner compiled an impressive OPS of .865, ranking him 13th in franchise history—just above Hall of Fame Brooklyn Dodgers catcher Roy Campanella, who posted an .860 OPS.
If Turner chooses to continue his career, he will need to find a team in need of a right-handed platoon bat. While he has historically hit left-handed and right-handed pitching about equally well, his splits became extreme in 2025. Turner posted a solid, if unspectacular, .759 OPS against lefties but struggled significantly against right-handed pitching, posting a mere .387 OPS.
As Turner weighs his next move, his leadership and experience remain valuable assets for any team looking to strengthen both its lineup and clubhouse culture.
https://www.newsweek.com/sports/mlb/justin-turner-free-agent-cubs-11004517