Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora reveals how Patriots coach Bill Belichick played a crucial role in their signing of Justin Turner
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Coveted and popular baseball player Justin Turner is finally one of the Red Sox. The former Dodgers man joined the Boston Red Sox on a one-year deal worth $15 million. However, Red Sox had to pull in several big guns and influences to make this deal come to actuality.
As per sources, it seems like Alex Cora, the manager of the Red Sox, was helped by the New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick in pulling reinforcements for signing Justin Turner. The sources reveal that Belichick texted Turner, which immensely helped sign the Dodgers man.
While it is still unclear what Belichick texted to Turner, it did help the Red Sox in getting Turner’s sign. The ex-Dodgers infielder’s contract also has a club option inserted as a clause.
Red Sox manager takes the help of Patriots coach Bill Belichick to sign Dodgers man Justin Turner
Justin Turner was a 3B for Los Angeles Dodgers and has joined the Boston Red Sox in a one-year deal. The deal is worth $ 15 million and includes an additional club option.
However, signing Turner was not an easy deal for the Red Sox. The Boston-based MLB team suffered some of the worst losses last season. They had finished last in the American League East in 2022, which led to fans booing the franchise owner during the Winter Classic at Fenway Park.
This off-season, the Red Sox are trying to reinforce their roster with signings that can help them see favorable results in the upcoming 2023 season. They have already lost two crucial players, Mookie Betts and Xander Bogaerts, which would seem to impact their team performance. The Red Sox are taking no chance for another disappointing set in the MLB.
Turner, at the start, did not want to leave Hollywood and was looking forward to a pressing deal from the Los Angeles Dodgers to sign him. Although the Dodgers offered a deal alongside four other clubs, the other teams’ approach to signing Turner seemed more aggressive.
Turner has always admired the Red Sox from afar in the past. In fact, during his stint with the New York Mets in 2010, he also played with the current Red Sox manager Alex Cora. Cora must have used his contacts at the Patriots to use head coach Bill Belichick in convincing Turner to sign with the Red Sox.
Alex Cora and Bill Belichick have enjoyed a great relationship since Cora took over as the manager of the Red Sox in 2018. He got a text from the six-time Super Bowl champion during the Red Sox’s run to the ALCS. He had exclaimed, “I got a text from him finally,” during the 2021 ALDS.
He further added to his excitement, saying, “That’s huge. That’s like the highlight of the year to be honest with you. We did a show a few years ago for the Jimmy Fund. And it was all the (Boston) coaches and Bill was on the phone because they had a practice. So we were joking not too long ago … that I need his number. All of a sudden I got the text from this random area code. And then I read it and I was like, ‘Wow.’ That’s cool to be honest with you. For somebody of his status to take his time and wish us luck and then send another text — honestly, out of the week, that was like the coolest thing ever. I loved it.”
Not only Bill Belichick but former Dodgers teammate of Turner, Kike Hernandez, was also another influential figure to convince Justin Turner for the Red Sox. Explaining his signing and the involvement of several imminent personalities, Turner says,
“I got recruited pretty heavily by a lot of guys, both current and former. A lot of text messages and phone calls talking about how great it is to be a Red Sox. (Also), there’s the opportunity to join another historic franchise, put on another historic uniform, and try to bring another championship back to Boston.”
Turner will be joining alongside Rafael Devers, who has also re-signed with the Red Sox in a deal worth $17.5 million. It would be exciting for the Red Sox and MLB fans to see whether these two All-Star players will be able to bring back glory to the Red Sox in the 2023 season.
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Siddid Dey Purkayastha
(528 Articles Published)