Ex-Dodgers Champ Refuses to Give Up on Pro Baseball as Mexico Becomes Home for Cast Off MLB Stars

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Ex-Dodgers Champ Refuses to Give Up on Pro Baseball as Mexico Becomes Home for Cast Off MLB Stars

Los Angeles Dodgers Mookie Betts 50 and Gavin Lux 9 celebrate with Justin Turner 10 after Lux scored on a sacrifice fly by Betts in the eighth inning to give the Dodgers a 7-0 lead against the Miami Marlins at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, May 15, 2021. The Dodgers picked up their seventh shutout of the season in the 7-0 victory over the Marlins. PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxONLY LAP2021051513 JIMxRUYMEN ©imago images/UPI Photo

Sourav Kumar Ghatak · EssentiallySports

Fri, May 15, 2026 ·

5 min read

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Justin Turner is not ready to hang up his cleats just yet. After not finding any interest from MLB this offseason, the 41-year-old former Dodgers star is moving to Mexico and has signed with the Tijuana Toros.

"I've always said I'm going to play as long as I can and make someone rip a jersey off me," the Athletic quoted Justin Turner . "I love playing, I love being around guys, I love being around the cage. I still feel really good in the box. On top of that, my family, my wife loves the games and loves coming to games. So I mean, baseball is not going anywhere, and whatever it is that I'll do when I'm done playing isn't going anywhere."

In his 16-year career in MLB, Turner hopped around seven teams. Among them, he had the most notable time during his eight-year stint with the Dodgers. From fetching a $64 million contract in Los Angeles to becoming a World Series champion in 2020 to a struggling 2025 with the Cubs, hitting .219, Turner has come a long way.

In MLB, opportunities started to dry up after age 30, and at 40, chances are very low that any team would offer a multi-million dollar deal, even if it is for a minor league contract.

Although he acknowledged that he was ready to witness fewer opportunities, he expected a non-roster invite at least. "Nothing came of it," he said. "I was kind of shocked," Turner added. "To not get a non-roster invite, that was tough and disappointing."

Oct 20, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner (10) leaves the field after an injury in the seventh inning against the Atlanta Braves during game four of the 2021 NLCS at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Turner read the writing on the wall after not even securing a spring invite this year. But he still wanted to swing rather than enter a broadcasting booth. "What else am I gonna do? Golf? Sit in a booth and talk about other players? I'd much rather be swinging the bat than talk about people swinging the bat," he said.

He first tried his luck in South Korea. Turner even contacted Ryu Hyun-jin from the Hanwha Eagles, a former teammate from his Dodgers days, but no KBO team wanted him as well. He then received an offer from the Liga Mexicana de Béisbol, which prompted him to travel south. The Toros, the first-placed team currently in the Mexican League, signed him, and Turner seemed to have regained his lost magic.

He is hitting .333 with 3 home runs, 10 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.029 from 18 games till now.

With a career earning of around $130 million, Turner is surely not spending time in Mexico for money. He doesn't need to play in smaller ballparks and a lesser crowd, but it is his love for the game that is still driving the 2x All-Star . The best part is that Justin Turner is the showstopper in Tijuana, his base city in Mexico.

Justin Turner's move shows a shift in professional baseball. As MLB turns data-driven, prioritizing young and cheap prospects, veterans are slowly being cast out. So, in search of more playing time, they are heading south.

The Mexican league is attracting aging stars. Names like Robinson Cano and Wilmer Flores are all in Mexico. Even Toros' manager is Roberto Kelly, a two-time All-Star and three-time World Series champion coach. Turner's attendance just took the league's popularity to the next level.

"With him coming here, the fact that everyone's taking a look at Tijuana," Toros president Omar Canizales Soto said. "It will help the organization and, of course, also the league itself, to pay more attention to it… And of course, the jersey sales started to pick up. Especially the ones with the No. 10 on the back."

Turner is thriving in the Mexican league, and who knows, strong numbers this season could fetch him a call from any MLB team. Carlos Santana is 40 and playing with the D-Backs this year. Turner could also make a return, but for now, he is taking the Mexican league to the next level.

Mexican baseball is riding the Turner wave

It's still too early for the Liga Mexicana de Béisbol to compete with MLB in terms of monetary value and popularity, but they are doing it right. They are targeting names like Justin Turner, who comes with a huge brand equity, but are past their prime. The Mexican league recently increased its foreign-player cap, allowing teams to carry up to 20 international players on a 38-man roster.

As a result, just as the Toros signed Turner, another team, the Dorados de Chihuahua, signed Andrelton Simmons , one of MLB's best defensive shortstops. The Toros reportedly reached out to Luis Arraez this offseason! But as he secured a one-year deal with the Giants, he didn't come to Mexico.

"We believe that by having players that play here, that will create a domino effect, and maybe they could tell other players," Canizales added. The more big names that enter the league, the better branding it will gain.

The domino effect is already evident. "I talked to Cal Raleigh two days ago, and he's like, How's it going? What's it like? Who's on your team?" Turner quoted Raleigh. "And I'm like, 'Yeah, we got a lot of good players down here in this league," Turner replied. Expectedly, the Mexican league will get more enriched in the coming time.

The league is already witnessing rapid growth in attendance. Teams like the Diablos Rojos and the Toros already average over 11,000 fans a night. Adding big MLB names like Turner is a massive boost for the league.

All those extra fans and jersey sales prove the league is here to stay. By signing big MLB stars, it's growing from a local circuit into a major global destination.

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