MLB.com: Five potential free-agent fits for J.D. Martinez
Oct 16, 2017, 7:52 AM | Updated: 4:32 pm
Arizona Diamondbacks' J.D. Martinez looks and points to the sky after hitting a home run against the San Francisco Giants during the ninth inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017, in Phoenix. The Diamondbacks defeated the Giants 4-3. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
With Major League Baseball deep into the playoffs and the Arizona Diamondbacks now looking to the offseason, the team’s next focus is on one of the players that helped the team reach the postseason — J.D. Martinez.
MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi took a look at the free agent’s situation and determined five teams that would be solid fits for the outfielder.
The D-backs, unsurprisingly, made the cut.
Because he was traded midseason, Martinez cannot receive a qualifying offer, but the 30-year-old has given his most recent employer every reason to retain him — from the world-class power and improved defensive play to his perpetually upbeat clubhouse presence. Yasmany Tomas’ inconsistency and injury history suggest Arizona will need to find another veteran outfielder — whether Martinez or someone else — to play alongside A.J. Pollock and David Peralta.
Other teams included in the list were the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox. The San Francisco Giants pose as the most logical situation for the slugger, according to Morosi.
In 62 regular-season games for the D-backs, Martinez was electric. He hit a whopping 29 home runs after joining the team in July. He slashed .302/.361/.741 and added 65 RBI to the stat sheet.
He was out of this world in the month of September.
In the team’s final home game of the season, Martinez tied Ralph Kiner’s long-standing National League record of 16 home runs in September. Kiner reached that mark back in 1949. Martinez also broke Luis Gonzalez’s record of 35 RBI in one month — he had 36 in the season’s final month.
It’s unclear where Martinez will sign, but his added spark jumpstarted a D-backs team that managed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
