Xander Bogaerts isn’t going anywhere, but that doesn’t mean a thing for J.D. Martinez.
Despite his recent cold spell, Martinez is hitting .293 with an .828 OPS and 30 doubles on the year. However, the All-Star only has nine home runs, which could hurt his value.
Still, Martinez would provide an instant jolt of offense at the center of any lineup, as ex-Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts would know. As it turns out, Betts and Martinez could be reunited once again.
According to David Vassegh of AM 570 in Los Angeles (via Dodgers Nation), the Dodgers are “kicking the tires on right-handed hitters. In addition to Ian Happ, Brandon Drury and Josh Bell, Martinez is among the players they’re interested in. Of course, the Dodgers already have plenty of big bats, but Martinez would provide an option that’s not platoon dependent.
Should Boston decide to make another deal with the Dodgers, Chaim Bloom needs to make pitching a greater priority than he did in the two organizations’ last major deal. Three of the Dodgers’ top 10 prospects are pitchers, two of which rank among the game’s top 100 prospects. Although Martinez would likely be a rental for L.A., the Dodgers have shown they don’t mind paying up for short-term success.