The Los Angeles Dodgers and impending free agent Justin Turner have had preliminary talks regarding a contract extension, Jon Heyman of Today's Knuckleball reports.

Turner has previously indicated to Heyman that he would love to stay with the Dodgers, and it appears that the feeling is mutual.

"He’s been a glue to this club, the gritty grinding type guy," manager Dave Roberts told Heyman. "He’s what I envision a ballplayer for the Dodgers being."

Turner certainly has proved his value to the Dodgers this year, hitting a career-high 27 homers during the regular season and tying for the team lead in RBIs with 90. His success has carried over into the postseason, where he hit .400 during the NLDS with a triple, a home run and five RBIs.

Turner previously was a role player with the New York Mets, but the 31-year-old's career has improved drastically since joining Los Angeles in 2014.

"I don’t know what happened, but my career has kind of taken a turn for the better once I put the Dodger uniform on," Turner told Heyman.

-- Meaghan Latella