Just a few weeks after his first career All-Star appearance, Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop and MLB Pack Pro Trea Turner was traded by the Washington Nationals to the Dodgers in a package deal that sent him along with right-handed pitcher Max Scherzer to Los Angeles in exchange for a slew of prospects. In a hotly contested NL West race, Turner provides even more firepower to a Dodgers club seeking to defend its 2020 World Series title.

The Dodgers already boast the second-best OPS in the National League, a rank fueled by the best on-base percentage in the NL, but they don’t even hold the best OPS in their division. That distinction currently belongs to the San Francisco Giants, who lead the Dodgers in the NL West by three games despite a run differential 35 runs below that of the Dodgers.

It will be a while before Turner can contribute to the Dodgers’ efforts in the NL West race however, as he exited what ended up being his last game for the Washington Nationals in the first inning due to testing positive for COVID-19. The newly-minted Dodger will have to wait at least 10 days after testing positive before returning to action.

With his trademark speed that ranks among the best in baseball, Turner will provide a different flavor offense to a Dodgers lineup that registers in the bottom third of the major leagues in stolen bases. Even at just 28 years old, Turner has the 11th-most stolen bases among all active players.

That’s not to say that Turner is a one-dimensional player, however, as the speedster holds the seventh-best OPS+, a stat that adjusts a player’s OPS for park factors and compares it to the league average, in the National League. Even on a Los Angeles Dodgers team filled to the brim with big bats, Turner ranks third in OPS among current Dodgers with at least 100 at-bats, so it is unlikely that he will be a footnote in the Dodgers offense. Turner also holds the third-best OPS among qualified NL shortstops, bested only by his new divisional counterparts in San Diego shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. and San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford.

Turner likely won’t remain at short in Los Angeles, however, as he is expected to play primarily at second base for the Dodgers. Despite Turner’s tremendous speed and pop, the Dodgers already have a star shortstop in two-time All-Star and reigning World Series MVP Corey Seager. Once Seager returns to the diamond after being sidelined for two and half months with a broken hand, he will likely reassume his post at shortstop. Even though Turner has played most of his major league career at shortstop, he has actually performed better statistically at second base during his time in the show.

Over the course of his career so far, Turner has a better range factor (putouts plus assists) per nine innings at second base than at shortstop, with 5.04 and 3.78, respectively. Turner’s career fielding percentage at second base is also 11 points higher than at shortstop. Granted, Turner’s fielding statistics at second base carry the caveat of having a sample size of just 42 games, but these numbers bode well for an efficient middle infielder partnership between Seager and Turner.

Given the Dodgers’ abundance of talent, especially in the infield, the Dodgers infield personnel will likely see plenty of rotation between the seven infield bats including Turner with an OPS of at least .700. Turner also has experience in the outfield at the major league level, playing 45 games in center field in 2016, so it is possible that he sees some playing time there as well.

Wherever Turner lines up on the diamond, he is primed to play a significant role in the Dodgers’ defense of their World Series title. Despite a .481 OPS against the San Francisco Giants in 2021, Turner is slashing .370/.452/.741 against all Padres pitchers this season, so he can help hold off San Diego in the divisional race at the very least.

If the Dodgers fail to capture the NL West crown, they will most likely at least secure a Wild Card berth, as they currently hold a 3.5-game lead among the rest of the contenders for the National League Wild Card. After that, Turner’s inconsistency in the postseason so far in his career will be put to the test, as he is 4 for 4 in stolen base attempts in the playoffs, but posted a measly .161/.235/.191 slashline in the 2019 World Series after hitting solidly up to that point in those playoffs.

If Turner can produce in Los Angeles, the Dodgers will have a good shot at winning their fourth NL pennant in five years and possibly becoming the first team to win consecutive World Series titles since the New York Yankees three-peated between 1998 and 2000.