3 Blue Jays veterans who should join Jose Abreu after surprising Astros release

Justin Turner

Another player on an expiring contract, Turner quickly went from one of the steals of this past offseason to one of the worst signings. He started off swinging a red-hot bat, but he has since cooled off something fierce.

All told, the 16-year veteran and former World Series champion is hitting just .227 with a .659 OPS and 95 OPS+. Most of these numbers have been carried by that hot start, as he's hitting just .206 in his last 22 games and hasn't hit a single home run since all the way back on April 29, when he hit two of them against the Royals.

This type of production is difficult to see on a nightly basis, as Turner was an outstanding hitter only just last year. As a member of the 2023 Red Sox, he hit 23 home runs and drove in 96 while posting an .800 OPS and 115 OPS+. Obviously, the Blue Jays were hoping to see him replicate that this year, but outside of that strong first month or so, he's fallen short of expectations.

Since his contract is of the single year variety, the Blue Jays should be able to cut Turner without receiving too much of a financial hit. It's highly unlikely that they could find a trade partner for him, as he's the oldest position player in baseball and has been a dreadful hitter for the past few months.