According to a report yesterday by Jon Morosi of the MLB Network, the Giants have been involved in discussions with the Detroit Tigers regarding a possible trade for power-hitting outfielder J.D. Martinez.
Not only would Martinez be a perfect fit to fill the Giants vacancy in left-field next season, due to a variety of reasons, he’d be a better option than acquiring a pricy free agent like Yoenis Cespedes on the open market. While Cespedes may be the superior talent, he’s also going to command a price tag somewhere in the ballpark of $125 million. Martinez on the other hand is slated to earn $11.75 million next year, and his numbers at the plate (.307/.373/.535) actually compare quite favorably to Cespedes’ (.280/.354/.530) from last season.
Cespedes is also two years older — he’ll turn 32 during the season. If we assume the Giants will be signing a big name closer, the ability to add another All-Star caliber player without spending an ungodly sum of money would be the ideal situation for San Francisco.
Though acquiring a closer is priority number one for general manager Bobby Evans, filling the presumed vacancy in left-field is second on San Francisco’s offseason to-do list. I use the word presumed because we don’t yet know what the Giants’ plan is regarding the aging Angel Pagan, who is currently an unrestricted free agent.
These rumors would suggest the Giants are at least considering moving away from Pagan, and if that’s the case, Martinez seems like an ideal option for multiple reasons.
In addition to filling the positional void, Martinez would instantly become the best right-handed power hitter (and best overall power hitter) on the Giants, something that is of great value at AT&T Park. San Francisco hit 130 home runs last year, the 3rd lowest total in the league. Brandon Belt lead the team with 17, and Buster Posey had the most amongst righties with 14.
Compare that with Martinez who belted 22 last season despite missing seven weeks with a fractured right hand and playing home games at Comerica Park, a below average venue for the long ball. The previous season, in which he missed only four games, Martinez knocked 38 out of the park.
It’s not as if all Martinez can do is hit for power either. Martinez would have had the best batting average, second best on-base percentage and and best OPS on the Giants last season.
Dealing for Martinez would also allow San Francisco to avoid the alternative scenarios of both breaking the bank Cespedes, or crossing their fingers and hoping unproven in-house options Jarrett Parker or Mac Williamson are ready to step into full-time roles.
As with any transaction, there are also a few potential downsides here. The first would be that the Tigers may want a handful of big name prospects in return, perhaps pitcher Tyler Beede or infielder Christian Arroyo. That could give San Francisco pause, especially considering that Martinez is only under contract for one year. The last thing the Giants would want to do is give up a player of the future for a one-year rental.
On the other hand, perhaps the Tigers are looking to shop Martinez because they know they will not be able to sign him after next season, which would give the Giants leverage, and maybe help avoid a situation where they wouldn’t have to give up either of the aforementioned names. Of course that would also make the market for Martinez more competitive, and it’s not as if the Giants have the league’s most impressive prospects.
Clearly there are a lot of moving parts, and a lot of things we don’t know regarding what the Tigers a looking for in exchange for Martinez. What we do know, however, is that Martinez fills multiple needs for the Giants, is relatively cheap, and if brought on along with a top-tier closer, would put San Francisco as one of the favorites to get back to the World Series in 2017.
If Pagan is indeed walking, the Giants will need to fill the outfield vacancy somehow, and based on the options available, trading for Martinez may be the best case scenario.