Cubs Sign Justin Turner | Real World and Fantasy Baseball Impact for Team, Matt Shaw, Michael Busch and More

The MLB season is closing in quickly, and teams are making final roster transactions after getting back to camp and seeing what they have at their disposal.

The Chicago Cubs made a splash on Tuesday, signing veteran infielder Justin Turner.

Let's discuss what the move means for Turner, the Cubs and the team's other hitters. We'll cover real world and fantasy impacts.

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Turner's Outlook

Turner could immediately become the Cubs' starting third baseman. According to FanGraphs, Matt Shaw was the projected starter at the position before the move became official. 

After the move, Shaw is still the starter at third base, while Turner is in a projected platoon with Michael Busch. Turner is a 16-year MLB veteran, and gives the Cubs some insurance in case Shaw isn't ready to make his MLB debut yet.

Across his 16 seasons, Turner has 198 home runs, 814 RBIs, 45 stolen bases and 797 runs scored. He averages 19 home runs, 79 RBIs, four stolen bases and 77 runs scored over 162 games, while hitting for a .285 average and getting on base at a .363 clip.

Turner, who is 40 years old, has faded a bit as he's aged, but he's still been a decent hitter. In 139 games last season, Turner had a .259 average and .354 OBP, with 11 home runs, 55 RBIs and 59 runs scored in stops with the Blue Jays and Mariners.

In 146 games with the Red Sox in 2023, Turner had a .276 average, .345 OBP, 23 home runs, 96 RBIs, four stolen bases and 86 runs scored.

With a talented prospect on the cusp of the big leagues, signing Turner isn't a move the team would make if he wasn't going to be a regular part of the lineup. I'd expect Turner to slot into the heart of the lineup, or maybe the fifth or sixth slot at worst.

With the likes of Ian Happ, Kyle Tucker and Seiya Suzuki at the top of the lineup, Turner could have a chance to be a pretty good fantasy asset. His home run numbers might not be all that great, but he'll have plenty of chances to drive in runs.

The Cubs' lineup isn't the best after the top-three hitters, but guys like Busch, Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Miguel Amaya are good enough to drive in Turner and help him score a good amount of runs.

Turner isn't part of the FantasySP Average Draft Position list right now, but I wouldn't be surprised if he gets some attention now. He's at least a deep-league fantasy option to begin the season, and there's a chance he becomes a standard league option in short order - if he isn't right from opening day.

Adding Turner is a good move for the Cubs, who are hoping to compete for the NL Central title this season. He lengthens the lineup and adds another impact bat.

His addition should help several Cubs' fantasy outlooks out.

Fantasy Impact

Speaking of fantasy impacts, this move should impact several players.

Shaw is likely to see the biggest impact. I was really high on him going into the season, but now he might be held in the minor leagues for a little while longer.

Shaw is the No. 19 overall prospect in the MLB, and I was pretty surprised to see the Cubs make this move, because it could halt Shaw's path to the big leagues. He could still make the opening day roster, but it would take a great spring training or an injury probably now.

Shaw can play all over the infield, so if he hits well enough, the Cubs will find a place for him on the big league roster. The more likely thing happening now is Shaw starting the season in Triple-A, where he played 35 games last season. He has a .298 average and .395 OBP in those 35 games, so I thought the Cubs were all in on him as their everyday starting 3B for 2025.

Turner can also play first base, which could mean he spells Busch from time to time. I don't think it will eat much into his playing time, but Busch should see a little increase in fantasy value with Turner either batting in front or behind him.

If Turner ends up platooning with Busch and Shaw is the everyday starter at third base, then this move will obviously have a massive impact on Busch. 

Busch's draft stock should definitely fall after the move, but I'd keep an eye on Cubs' news to see the plan for Turner.

Tucker is already an elite fantasy option, but could score a few more runs with Turner batting in the same lineup.

Hoerner is the next Chicago hitter off draft boards, but could take a little fantasy hit if Turner bats in front of him, thus sliding Hoerner down the order more. 

I don't think the Cubs would consider moving on from Hoerner if Shaw has a big spring training (because he could play second too), but crazier things have happened. I'd be a bit more cautious of drafting Hoerner after the Turner signing anyways.

Happ and Suzuki are going pretty close together in fantasy drafts so far. Adding Turner gives a little fantasy bump to each player, so I don't think it drastically alters things for either player. 

Suzuki has been a bit injury prone at the start of his MLB career, so adding Turner could also help the team spell Suzuki more often, while getting the 40-year-old off his feet, but still keeping him in the lineup as a designated hitter.

Crow-Armstrong, Swanson and Busch are late-round fantasy draft options. We already discussed Busch a bit, but let's dive into how this move affects PCA and Swanson.

Crow-Armstrong is better suited for the bottom of the order, but having Turner in front of him should bump his fantasy outlook up just a touch. Swanson probably slides down a spot with Turner added to the lineup, but he might end up batting right after him, which should also benefit Swanson a touch.

The other projected starters in Chicago won't have their fantasy outlooks altered all that much. For the deep-league options, like Amaya, the addition of Turner is a slight positive.

Final Thoughts

I think this is a smart move for the Cubs in terms of wanting to compete in the division and for a playoff spot. I'm not a huge fan of slowing top-end prospects like Shaw though, so this move is a bit of a bummer for dynasty owners.

The Cubs were already in the running for a division title, and this move definitely ups their chances of winning the crown, but only by a little bit. It's hard to really move the needle as a 40-year-old.

Shaw and Busch have the most to lose from this move, while several other players will only be slightly impacted in a positive way. Turner himself could be in store for a decent fantasy season, especially if he's playing nearly everyday.

I think the signing has a bigger impact on the real world instead of fantasy.

Keep an eye on news from Cubs' camp to see how the team plans to deploy their newly-acquired veteran. I'll be fascinated to see if Shaw or Busch is the one who loses playing time.