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Justin Turner (42, playing for Tijuana Toros in the Mexican League), an infielder with a career total of 201 home runs in Major League Baseball (MLB) and a two-time MLB All-Star and World Series champion, has revealed that he sought to enter the KBO League through Ryu Hyun-jin (39, Hanwha Eagles) ahead of this season.
The U.S. sports outlet 'The Athletic' reported on the 16th (Korean time) that Turner, who is currently playing for Tijuana Toros in the Mexican League (LMB), seriously considered joining the KBO League to extend his playing career.
In the interview, Turner shared his lonely struggle of not receiving even a minor league contract or an invitation to spring training from any of the 30th MLB teams ahead of this season. Although he was determined to extend his career to the point of making direct calls to multiple teams to propose counteroffers, the harsh reality of the MLB market turned its back on the 42nd-year-old veteran.
Turner, who was emotionally roller-coastering while contemplating retirement every day, revealed that Korea was one of the last places he considered as a breakthrough. "While I was struggling with the decision between retirement and extending my career, I even reached out directly to my former teammate Ryu Hyun-jin, with whom I shared a meal at the Los Angeles Dodgers, to see if there was an opportunity to play in Korea. However, there was no result," he surprisingly confessed.
Although, as Turner stated, it did not lead to concrete negotiations or a contract, he sought advice from Ryu Hyun-jin, with whom he maintained a close relationship during his Dodgers days, and even explored the possibility of coming to Korea. If the contract had been finalized, it would have been a historic event for a 201-home run slugger who dominated MLB to play in the KBO.
While Turner was contemplating joining the KBO and transitioning into a coaching role after retirement, he eventually received an enthusiastic offer from the Tijuana Toros of the Mexican League and was able to continue his dream of extending his playing career.
This season, he is showcasing his enduring batting prowess by leading his team with an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 1.031 in the Mexican League. Mexican fans, inspired by his trademark red beard from his Dodgers days, enthusiastically call him 'Barba Roja' (Red Beard), and his jerseys are selling like hotcakes at the team store.
Turner said, "You only get one chance to play baseball in your life. It is truly difficult to pick up a bat again after declaring retirement." He also expressed his undying passion for the sport, stating, "I want to play baseball until I can't, until someone forcibly tears my jersey apart."
Turner is indeed a hitter who left a successful career in MLB. From the 2009 season to the 2025 season, he played for the Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, and Chicago Cubs, appearing in a total of 1,758 games and accumulating a batting average of .283 (5,709 at-bats, 1,617 hits), 201 home runs, and 832 RBIs. He is particularly well known to domestic baseball fans for his long tenure with the Dodgers. In his final season in 2025, playing for the Cubs, he appeared in 80 games, recording a .219 batting average (169 at-bats, 37 hits), 3 home runs, and 18 RBIs.
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