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.

Some get into a coaching role, like Mark Kotsay, and some get into commentary, like Buck Martinez. But few others, like Justin Turner, refuse to stop swinging at the plate even in their forties. If it is not in MLB, then maybe in a league from another country, but they just love to play baseball. Turner decided as he entered the Mexican league, highlighting a growing trend.

“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 8-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.

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.”

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.

Turner reportedly first tried his luck in the KBO. He even contacted Ryu Hyun-jin from the Hanwha Eagles, a former teammate from his Dodgers days, but it seems no KBO team wanted him. 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, 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.

The Mexican league is increasingly attracting former big-leaguers. 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, a strong number 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 have past their prime. The teams in the Mexican league are allowed to take upto 20 foreign players on the 38-man roster.

As a result, just as the Toros signed Turner, another team, the Dorados de Chihuahua, signed Andrelton Simmons, MLB’s one of the 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 Toros de Tijuana are averaging over 11,000 spectators. The entry of Justin Turner just sped up the growth.