Red Sox listening to trade offers for designated hitter J.D. Martinez?
The MLB trade deadline is days away and the Red Sox are trying to figure out whether they are buyers or sellers come August 2nd. One name that has surfaced as a potential trade candidate is designated hitter J.D. Martinez.
EPSN’s Buster Olney said on his Baseball Tonight podcast on Tuesday that Martinez “is out in the trade market.”
“What I’m hearing from other teams is they think the Red Sox will at least be partial sellers. Now, they’re kind of in a weird place. They’re among four teams vying for the last Wild Card spot. But you’ve seen in recent days, they’ve really struggled. A guy that other teams say is available is designated hitter J.D. Martinez. ... The Red Sox could flip J.D. Martinez, maybe hang onto Xander Bogaerts if they feel like they have a shot to make the playoffs and replace Martinez with another designated hitter. So the Red Sox, as we get to the deadline, could be both buyers and sellers,” said Olney.
Boston has struggled mightily as of late, especially after being swept by the Blue Jays coming off the All-Star break. The Red Sox currently sit three games out of the final Wild Card playoff spot.
Martinez will turn 35 next month and will be an immediate upgrade for any team who acquires the slugger. One team to watch in the Martinez sweepstakes is the New York Mets. According to people around the league, the Mets have kept tabs on Martinez’ availability this season.
This season, Martinez is hitting .302/.368/.481 with nine homers and 38 RBIs in 81 games this season. Martinez’s power numbers are down this season but has dealt with back issues at times, including missing the first four games following the All-Star break.
If the Red Sox trade Martinez, the question is what will they acquire back for the four-time All-Star?
Boston could look to use the model of the deal they made with the Washington Nationals last season when they acquired Kyle Schwarber. The Red Sox traded No. 25 prospect pitching prospect Aldo Ramirez.
Martinez would likely command two top 20 prospects or one and a potential major league ready player.
One thing is for certain, the Red Sox have some major decisions ahead of themselves before the trade deadline. Until then, the fan base waits while Chaim Bloom waits to make his move. The question is, when will Bloom strike?
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