The Mets are considering a popular player from the franchise’s past to potentially fill multiple needs on next year’s team.
Justin Turner would give the Mets a proven bat and versatility to play third base, if needed.
The Mets, according to a source, have been engaged in discussions with Turner’s camp after initiating contact with the former All-Star early in the offseason.
Turner, 39, owned a .276/.345/.455 slash line with 23 homers and 96 RBI in 146 games for the Red Sox last season.
In November, he declined his $13.4 million player option for next season and received a $6.7 million buyout.
The Mets signed Joey Wendle to a one-year contract worth $2 million before the winter meetings, but the veteran infielder is viewed as more a backup than regular player, filling essentially the role Luis Guillorme had in recent seasons.
Turner, if signed, would have the potential of rotating between DH, third base and second base.
He also played 41 games at first base last season, suggesting he could fill in for Pete Alonso, allowing the slugger the flexibility to DH as needed.
David Stearns, the team’s president of baseball operations, recently indicated his plan was to fill third base internally with Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio as the primary options.
But the 22-year-old Mauricio last week tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during a game in the Dominican Winter League and will undergo surgery.
He will miss a significant portion of next season.
Stearns, while leading Milwaukee’s front office, pursued Turner as a free agent before the 2021 season.
Turner ultimately returned to the Dodgers and extended his tenure with the club to nine seasons before signing with the Red Sox last winter.
Turner spent parts of four seasons with the Mets as a backup infielder who was popular with the fans for his hustle and respected in the clubhouse.
He was non-tendered by the Mets following the 2013 season and signed a minor-league deal with the Dodgers and, after improving his launch angle, blossomed into an everyday player in Los Angeles who three times hit 27 homers in a season.
He won a World Series ring with the Dodgers in the 2020 season that was shortened by the pandemic.
The Mets’ biggest offseason splash to this point has been Luis Severino’s arrival on a one-year contract worth $13 million that addressed one rotation vacancy.
But the Mets still need multiple additions to the rotation and have pursued Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is the top free agent available on the pitching market.
Yamamoto’s suitors have included the Yankees, Dodgers, Giants, Phillies, Blue Jays and Red Sox and it’s possible he will receive a deal that pushes beyond $300 million.
If the Mets miss on Yamamoto, they could pivot toward a group that includes left-handers Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery and Japanese free agent Shota Imanaga.
In search of outfield help, the Mets have remained in contact with Michael A. Taylor’s camp.
Taylor is an elite defensive player who could play center field and shift Brandon Nimmo to a corner outfield spot.
The Mets also have Starling Marte returning, and Jeff McNeil has shifted between second base and the outfield. DJ Stewart, who returned to the Mets on a one-year contract, played right field last season with Marte on the injured list.
Other available bats include Teoscar Hernandez, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Jorge Soler, J.D. Martinez and Tommy Pham.
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