Star shortstop Trea Turner has said it publicly, and he’s told the Dodgers: He likes playing in Los Angeles now and will consider every team in free agency.
However, he just can’t shake the widely held belief that he would prefer to play on the East Coast. It started when he was traded from the Nationals to the Dodgers, and he was said quite unhappy going west (of course at the time he was also moving from shortstop to second base).
The Dodgers would surely love to bring him back, as Turner brings a rare speed-power combo to shortstop. But they likely still wonder whether they might be his first choice, and thus are surveying a very rich shortstop market. No surprise they appear to have landed on the other comparably great free-agent shortstop as an enticing 1A choice: Carlos Correa. They love everything he brings, and thus far don’t seem to have 2017 reservations.
Read Related Also: Water drains from Tampa Bay from Ian’s winds, then refills
Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson round out a second straight star-studded free-agent shortstop class, so the Dodgers — very disappointed to be watching a Phillies team that won 24 fewer games rep their league in the World Series — should have a chance to approximate Turner’s wondrous production.
As for Turner, the latest rumor has the Braves as a possible fit if they fail to keep the Atlanta product Swanson (they also like Correa). The Cardinals, Phillies and Red Sox are among other potential spots closer to his supposed geographic preference (he’s from Lake Worth, Fla.; his wife New Jersey).
