Trea Turner: 'Everything is in play' for impending free agency
Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star shortstop Trea Turner will be one of this offseason's marquee free agents and he says he's keeping his options open.
"I'm an East Coast guy. But with free agency, you get a chance to pick and control it as much as you can in your entire career," Turner said Wednesday, according to the Orange County Register's Bill Plunkett. "I'm open to anything really. Everything is in play."
Turner was acquired from the Washington Nationals alongside Max Scherzer in a blockbuster deal at the 2021 trade deadline. In the lead-up to the deal, Turner indicated that he preferred to be dealt to a club on the East Coast.
"I originally said that so I wouldn't necessarily get traded to certain places. I was trying to control as much as I could - because a lot of it was out of my control," he said.
Turner said he and his family have grown more comfortable during their time in Southern California.
"It's getting better. We're getting used to it," he said. "The city's great and all that. Maybe we just need to find a neighborhood that we feel comfortable in. Renting and moving around was kind of tough. Being able to buy a home and have it be a home I think would be really nice."
He added: "Yeah, I'm from the East Coast. Would I like to go back? Sure. But I think L.A.'s been really good to me."
The 2021 NL batting champion admitted his stint with the Dodgers has gone well and he could envision a scenario where he remains on the West Coast beyond the 2022 campaign.
"Everything here has been really good," Turner said. "It's definitely not a 'I don't want to be on the West Coast' thing."
Turner has been an instrumental piece of the Dodgers' vaunted offensive attack. The 29-year-old owns a .305/.350/.488 slash line with 20 home runs, a career-high 96 RBIs, and 24 stolen bases across 140 games this season.