Back at shortstop, Dodgers’ Trea Turner open to contract extension – Press Enterprise

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Trea Turner is back on the field at home. It remains to be seen if he will make his long-term home in Dodger Blue.

With the departure of Corey Seager via free agency, Turner will once again be an everyday shortstop. It’s the position he’s spent most of his seven-year career at, though he moved to second base after being acquired from the Washington Nationals by the Dodgers last season and retiring in the final two months of the regular season and through the Dodgers’ postseason run.

“Yeah, sure,” Turner said, conceding it’s a welcome change to be back in his preferred position. “We will miss him. But personally, I’m looking forward to playing shortstop again. It feels so much more normal and natural. I felt like I was almost left handing on second base.

“It was just a bit awkward or weird to learn the position on the fly. I feel good again for a moment. It feels normal. Today was fun.”

Now it’s Turner’s contract status that could be a little awkward.

After earning $13 million last season, Turner is in his final year of arbitration. Due to the lockout, a possible arbitration hearing may not take place until after the season has started. Teams and eligible players will exchange payroll numbers on March 22nd, a process that would normally take place much sooner.

The Nationals reportedly offered Turner a six-year contract extension for about $100 million in spring 2020, but talks never progressed from there, leading to Turner’s trade last summer. The 28-year-old can become a free agent next winter.

Turner said Monday that the Dodgers and his reps at CAA Sports “had a little call before the lockout, but nothing substantial… just a conversation between them.”

Turner (the NL batting champion with a .328 average last season) said he was always open to more formal discussions.

“I feel like I’m shutting myself down. I can talk if someone wants to have a conversation,” he said. “If not, I’m ready to play and ready to go out there and do what I’ve been doing for the past few years. Like I said, I’ll have talks. But if they won’t happen, if they don’t, or if they do, I’m not worried about them. I’m worried that I won’t smell today. It’s sort of my motto, don’t suck today. So I put the time in and we let these things take care of themselves.”

KERSHAW LIVE

Kershaw took the mound to throw racquets in Monday’s practice. He faced hitters for the first time since he left the mound at Dodger Stadium in the second inning of his Oct. 1 start with elbow pain.

The left-hander threw 15 pitches to Mookie Betts, Justin Turner and AJ Pollock with his entire pitch mix, then threw the equivalent of a second inning into the bullpen. Kershaw said he felt “good” after the first test.

“Today really encouraged me,” Kershaw said. “I felt like everything came out as good as it could for the first time. Had never faced thugs, hadn’t dropped a mound of dirt – doing all that stuff and feeling good and feeling that my stuff was in a decent place was encouraging.

BACK IN BLUE

Former Dodgers catcher and Angels manager Mike Scioscia was at the Dodgers spring training camp last week. Scioscia worked with the catchers at minor league camp for a few days.

Ron Roenicke — a special assistant in the Dodgers’ front office and a coach on the Scioscias Angels staff for several years — arranged for Scioscia’s visit. It is believed that Scioscia is in the Dodgers’ camp for the first time since he left the organization to join the Angels in 2000.

TV time

The Dodgers announced several additions to their broadcast team.

Former Angels broadcaster Jose Mota will appear in both Spanish and English broadcasts.