2024 Mariners hero Justin Turner just took bold step in fight against retirement

Justin Turner only spent a couple of months in Seattle with the Mariners, but it was clear that he truly loved the game of baseball. And even now at the age of 41 that passion has evidently not faltered, with the news that he's headed to Mexico to continue playing.

As reported by Dodgers Nation on social media, Turner has signed a deal with the Toros de Tijuana, who are part of the Mexican Baseball League. The team name translates to "Tijuana Bulls," with bull seeming appropriate for someone who has 17 years of Major League experience but just continues to power through and keep playing.

Justin Turner had a positive impact both on and off the field during his short time in Seattle

There are plenty of Mariners fans who retain a soft spot for Turner, and not just because of the impact he made on the field during his brief spell with the club, highlighted by a 127 OPS+. He also received affection by effectively speaking on behalf of the fanbase and criticizing team ownership for not adding a couple of impact bats ahead of the 2025 season, to complement the best pitching staff in baseball.

As per Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times, Turner was extremely popular with the other players in the Mariners clubhouse, with Luke Raley saying at the end of the 2024 season there wasn't a single person that didn't want him back. And yet the two-time All-Star declined to re-sign and be one of those two potential impact bats to help a team which finished just one game out of a playoff position.

What seemed particularly damning to Mariners ownership, was that Turner subsequently signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Cubs, which was less than what he was reportedly offered multiple times to return to Seattle. As it turned out however, this would become a blessing in disguise as he went on to have his worst ever season in the majors as a regular, with a .219 batting average, .602 OPS and 76 OPS+.

Justin Turner provided the proverbial kick up the backside to Mariners ownership

In retrospect, Turner's rant about Mariners ownership aged terribly in the best way as the club came closer than ever to a first World Series berth in one of the best seasons in franchise history. However, the 2017 NLCS MVP arguably deserves an assist, with it being entirely feasible he lit a fire under the organization as they subsequently went all-in ahead of the 2025 trade deadline to acquire Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez.

Turner has said he eventually wants to retire as a Dodger, which makes sense after playing the majority of his long career in Los Angeles. However, it's not often someone who plays only 48 games for a club leaves such a lasting impression, which is exactly what he did in Seattle.

As such, this puts us in the position to wish Turner all the best if he wants to continue playing for a while longer yet. He's earned around $140 million in his career and reached the peak as a World Series champion, but this next chapter should be very interesting for him if nothing else.

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