There won’t be a reunion in Queens for ex-Met Justin Turner.
The 39-year-old agreed instead to a one-year, $13 million deal with the Blue Jays, The Post’s Jon Heyman confirmed.
The Mets had been among a handful of teams interested in Turner, who is coming off a solid season in his one year with the Red Sox.
Turner heading to Toronto leaves the Mets still without an experienced option at third base or DH, with time ticking down to the start of spring training- and the number of options left also dwindling.
Brett Baty and Mark Vientos remain the primary candidates to play third, due in part to Ronny Mauricio’s torn ACL suffered during winter ball that will cost him all of next season.
The Mets have spoken with former Yankee Gio Urshela’s representatives and he is still available after missing much of last season with the Angels with a hip injury.
The Angels are considering a reunion with Urshela, according to sources.
But president of baseball operations David Stearns said earlier this month that adding a piece to the lineup wasn’t “essential” at third base, saying he wanted to give Baty and Vientos a chance to prove themselves after each struggled in 2023.
“I believe over time as you do that, as an organization you are rewarded for it and you get really quality players, solid players who can contribute in your organization for a long time,” Stearns said of the possibility of allowing Baty and Vientos an opportunity to prove themselves. “I’m excited to see what our younger players can do and we have some of them that I think can play third base.”
And he also wouldn’t commit to adding a DH.
“Sometimes, sort of that bat-first player when we’re talking about a DH position, it can be helpful to rotate players through that,” Stearns said. “We haven’t made a firm decision on that one yet. I still think it’s a little bit to be determined and we’re still discussing.”
Veteran sluggers Jorge Soler and J.D. Martinez are among the names still available on the DH free-agent market.