J.D. Martinez Is Of Interest To The Blue Jays In their quest to strengthen their lineup for the upcoming season, the Blue Jays are considering veteran slugger
Shohei Ohtani’s decision to sign with the Dodgers leaves Toronto with a clear opening at designated hitter, a position that Martinez would fill quite well. The former slugger for the Dodgers, Red Sox, Tigers, and D-backs is coming off a strong comeback. With Los Angeles, he batted 271/.321/.572, launching 33 home runs in just 479 at-bats. Martinez’s return to form in the power department came at the expense of a career-high strikeout rate of 31.3%, which is concerning for a 36-year-old bat-only player, but the 2023 output was unquestionably outstanding.
With his higher platoon splits, Brandon Belt, who had a successful season as the Jays’ primary designated hitter, would essentially be replaced by Martinez. Belt dominated right-handed pitchers, as he has for the majority of his career, but he was ineffective against lefties (.235/.308/.265 in 39 plate appearances). Meanwhile, Martinez tormented right-handers (.270/.312/.569) as well as left-handers (.274/.343/.581).
According to Roster Resource, the Jays are currently projecting a $203MM payroll, which is approximately $11MM below their 2023 end-of-season total. Even without any further additions, they will have a payroll close to the franchise record, largely because of the arbitration increases for players like Jansen, Guerrero, Varsho, and others.
Nevertheless, the Jays’ attempts to sign Ohtani and Juan Soto, as well as their alleged interest in Yoshinobu Yamamoto and other unsigned free agents, suggest that the ownership is at ease with growing the payroll. Martinez’s age probably puts a two-year contract (if not a one-year one) on him, which should only make a win-now team like Toronto more interested in signing him.
Martinez would give the Jays yet another right-handed bat in a lineup already devoid of lefty hitters, so it’s not the best match between the two parties.There are no other regular left-handed hitters in the lineup, so Daulton Varsho is expected to move to center field in the event that free agent Kevin Kiermaier signs with another team.
Cavan Biggio, outfielder Nathan Lukes, and infield prospect Addison Barger may be given some looks, but right-handed hitters Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., George Springer, Alejandro Kirk, Danny Jansen, and Davis Schneider make up the bulk of the lineup.
To help balance out the lineup, the Jays could still sign Martinez and add another left-handed bat.The best available outfield free agent is Cody Bellinger, but there are also notable names on the trade market, such as switch-hitter Dylan Carlson and Max Kepler (not to mention the Giants’ abundance of left-handed swinging outfielders who are becoming less useful since they signed Jung Hoo Lee).
It would be an understatement to describe the free-agent market for left-handed hitting infielders as “bleak,” but there are still plenty of options available in the trade market, with switch-hitting Jorge Polanco possibly leading the pack. The Cardinals and Reds, in addition to the Twins, could deal with potential infield surpluses.