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Should Yankees sign Trea Turner?

Trea Turner

Trea Turner / USA TODAY Sports/SNY Treated Image

Trea Turner is the author of perhaps the smoothest slides in the major leagues. If you don’t know, Google “Trea Turner slide” and prepare to be amazed at his stylings.

How about Turner pulling off the free agent version of one of those graceful slides this winter and popping up in the Bronx? Hey, if Aaron Judge goes elsewhere, the Yankees will need marquee offense and Turner certainly supplies that.

But signing Turner also would blow up a bit of roster construction strategy the Yankees have been loyal to since last winter – avoiding the shortstop market, no matter how good the talent there is. Turner is one of several in another mega-class of shortstops that also includes Carlos Correa, Xander Bogaerts and Dansby Swanson and dominates the top tier of the free agent market.

Would the Yankees re-sign Judge and bring in Turner? Pricey, but if the club’s brass feels even one-tenth of the frustration the fan base does, it’s worth considering. If Judge goes, the chances they’d be in on the former Los Angeles Dodgers star would have to soar, right?

Let’s look at the pros and cons of putting Turner in pinstripes:

CONS

The Yankee hype machine is turned up to 11 on shortstop prospects Oswald Peraza and Anthony Volpe. Probably with good reason, though in reality the two are just good prospects until they prove they can thrive in the major leagues.

The Yankees did not bite last winter when Correa, Corey Seager and Marcus Semien were among the options at short and obtained Isiah Kiner-Falefa as a stopgap instead. They just agreed on a $6 million contract with IKF for 2023, though we don’t yet know whether that’s to be the starter at short, a utility player, or a fail-safe if the kids flounder.

But signing Turner, 29, obviously would block both Peraza, who was impressive in his brief MLB debut last year and probably should’ve gotten more playing time over IKF, and Volpe.

Maybe the Yanks should sit out the Turner market just to force themselves to actually give Peraza and Volpe a real shot at the job, whether it’s in April or a few months into the season. Other teams have leaned on young players and it’s worked. Just ask the Atlanta Braves.

And while Turner is a superlative player, he did have a so-so defensive year in 2022, making a career-worst 16 errors. He was tied for 20th among shortstops in defensive runs saved and the Yankees have emphasized defense recently, upgrading their…

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