NEWSLETTER
Actor Jon Hamm is just about everywhere nowadays, including seemingly every other commercial on football Sunday. But he’s long been a prominent celebrity baseball fan and genuinely seems to love hanging around the game (unfortunately, he’s a Cardinals fan, but we’ll let it slide for ol’ Don Draper).
So I’m not particularly surprised to see him tabbed as a narrator for this Trea Turner hype video, but it’s still pretty dang cool. And according to Jeff Passan, Turner’s agency, CAA, sent this to teams earlier today.
Uh, yeah. I’d sign him. I didn’t need the video, but it certainly doesn’t hurt.
And, hey, maybe the Cubs will!
There have been rumors connecting Turner directly to the Cubs this offseason (“mutual” interest, as a matter of fact), and we know they’re at least theoretically in on players of his caliber, at that position, this offseason. Whether or not it’ll be Turner, who’s reportedly expected to get the biggest contract of the four big free agents, is less clear. I still think the Cubs prior interest in Correa, plus the age advantage, is going to sway the Cubs’ attention in his direction. And it doesn’t help that the Mets, Braves, Yankees, and Dodgers appear to be in the Turner market, specifically (that’s a tough mix of expected competitiveness and deep pockets). But I do think it is a legitimate possibility.
Turner is coming off another monster season, in which he slashed .298/.343/.466 (128 wRC+) with 6.3 total WAR. I will say, however, there was some extra time in that video spent on his ability to “hit for power,” when in reality that could be a concern moving forward. For one, at least some of Turner’s power is based on his speed, which is a tool he could lose as he continues to age. And for another, his .169 ISO in 2022 trails marks posted over the last three years: 2019 (.200), 2020 (.253), and 2021 (.208).
Indeed, his .451 xSLG (expected slugging percentage) lagged behind his actually SLG this year (.466), and was well below his career mark of .451. That’s not close to a deal breaker – he offers SO MUCH more than power – it’s just something to keep in mind. And, again, it sure seems like Turner’s agency is aware of that concern given how much his game power was stressed in that video.
