Should the Miami Marlins pursue J.D. Martinez?

Reports came out recently stating that the Boston Red Sox are going to be shopping designated hitter J.D. Martinez. Martinez is a Miami native of Cuban descent, and acquiring him may be a good idea for the Miami Marlins for the stretch run. Or is it? Let’s dive into this here…

J.D. Martinez might make sense for the Miami Marlins as a trading deadline target. 

J.D. Martinez isn’t really a good defender anymore, but he still has an elite bat and is currently batting .299/.367/.477 with 9 home runs and 38 RBI in 82 games and 321 AB’s. This production is good for 1.3 WAR. He might seem to be in decline however as he’s also 34 years old and is turning 35 on August 21.

J.D. Martinez is still owed $7.55 million for the rest of the season and it might seem a bit too high to pay for him. Or is it? The Miami Marlins are a big-market team and should have no problem paying this amount to a slugger that can theoretically revitalize our offense.

The Miami Marlins are still fighting for a playoff spot and the biggest area of improvement is indeed the lineup. Our DH spot hadn’t been the most productive so far this season… Jesús Aguilar is batting .248/.295/.388 which is a pretty bad batting line to say the least.

Aguilar still has power, hitting 11 home runs in 88 games and 335 AB’s, but he’s clearly a hole in the lineup. A hole that can be filled really nicely by J.D. Martinez. The best part is that due to his position and age, Martinez isn’t going to cost the Miami Marlins much in prospects. He can also be retained for next season.  As a Miami native, Martinez may be willing to even take a hometown discount.

J.D. Martinez can also be a mentor and a clubhouse leader, as well as a marketable player for the Miami Marlins due to his Miami background. The added benefit is him being of Cuban descent and The Fish playing in Little Havana. He could be well worth the acquisition just for the marketing alone!

The only argument that I see against acquiring J.D. Martinez is that of the Miami Marlins give up on the season, it might be better to just sign him as a free agent after the season. As long as we’re buyers, it makes sense for us to pursue J.D. Martinez.