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3 Impact hitters the Miami Marlins should try to sign
The off-season is underway and it's time for the Miami Marlins to improve the lineup. Hitting has been The Fish's Achilles' heel in 2023, and getting an impact bat should be a priority. Designated Hitter Jorge Soler has opted out and honestly good riddance. The bad defender was injury-prone and inconsistent, though he was a great power bat. It's that lost power that The Fish need to replace and improve upon. Here are three hitters that The Fish need to target and I don't expect the team to sign more than one of them (if any)...
The Miami Marlins need to pursue these three hitters....
3. DH J.D. MARTINEZ
How about directly replacing Jorge Soler at designated hitter? J.D. Martinez just barely outdid Soler in WAR in 2023 (1.9 to 1.8), he's a significantly better player however. He batted .271/.321/.572 with 33 home runs and 103 RBI, in 113 games and 432 AB. JDM can't really play effective defense anymore, but he can both hit for contact and for power. Can you imagine having JDM in the middle of the order in the 2024 season?!
J.D. Martinez has a career .287/.321/.572 batting line, and also offers leadership to the clubhouse. It also helps that JDM is a Miami native of Cuban descent. This would be a huge homecoming to see him on the team and playing home games in Little Havana. Another positive is that JDM does not come with a draft pick attached, as the Los Angeles Dodgers didn't extend one to him.
How much would J.D. Martinez cost the Miami Marlins? Due to already being 36 years old, 1 or 2 years at around $15-16 million a year is likely what he'd cost. You could make an argument for $20 million a year, but I question that.
NEXT: A versatile middle of the order bat...
2. 1B/3B/DH JUSTIN TURNER
Justin Turner is a veteran at 38 years old, but is still capable of playing at a high level. He's also a very versatile defender, who can play first base and third base. His defense isn't very good to say the least, and he might be better off at designated hitter. The fact that he can still play passable defense at both first base and third base. It might be a stretch to say, but he could even be the team's first baseman if Josh Bell is moved to DH due to his own arguably worse defense.
I said all of this about Justin Turner's defense, but what about his offense? JT batted .276/.345/.455 with 23 home runs and 96 RBI, in 146 games and 558 AB. He was worth 2.1 WAR in 2023 and can possibly still produce something similar for the Miami Marlins in 2024. I'd be lying if I wasn't concerned about his age and health going forward, but I can still see another solid year coming from him.
How much would Justin Turner cost the Miami Marlins? A 1 year deal at close to $20 million will likely be the cost. It's not a small price to pay, but it could very well be worth it for the production and his veteran leadership.
NEXT: A really big bat.
1. OF TEOSCAR HERNANDEZ
Teoscar Hernandez is one of the top free agent bats available this off-season. For a bizarre reason the Seattle Mariners didn't bother giving him a Qualifying Offer. That was undoubtedly a dumb decision. As one of the top bats available in a weak hitter's market, he would've rejected the QO and signed somewhere else. He would've been able to get Seattle a draft pick back. Now, they're going to lose him for free.
The fact that Teoscar Hernandez doesn't come with a draft pick attached, is just an added bonus for The Fish. Teoscar has been worth 2.1 WAR in 2023, and has batted .258/.305/.435 with 26 home runs and 93 RBI, in 160 games and 625 AB. The average and OBP are obviously not that impressive, but the power is and the WAR is solid as well.
It's important to point out that Teoscar didn't it very well at Seattle's home park. He batted a lowly .217/.263/.380 at T-Mobile Park, but .295/.344/.486 on the road. That was more in line with his .283/.333/.519 batting line from 2020 to 2022. During that run, he had a big 2021 season when he hit 32 home runs and 116 RBI.
How much would Teoscar Hernandez cost the Miami Marlins? A 4-5 year deal of $20 million a year would likely be the price. It may be pushing it, and I don't necessarily expect the team to pay that. That said, it's market value that The Fish should be willing to spend to continue making the playoffs. Teoscar's contact and strikeouts concern me (211 this season and 152 last season), but the bat can play in RF. The Fish should at least check in on him.
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