Toronto Blue Jays Reportedly Have Interest in Multi-Time All-Star Slugger

After missing out on Shohei Ohtani in the free agent sweepstakes, the Toronto Blue Jays reportedly have interest in free agent slugger J.D. Martinez.

After missing out on Shohei Ohtani in the free agent sweepstakes, the Toronto Blue Jays reportedly have interest in free agent slugger J.D. Martinez.

Per Keegan Mattheson of MLB.com:

Yes. This roster needs its Brandon Belt, and the Blue Jays have interest in Martinez as a veteran run producer. Martinez isn’t slowing down and should be available on a two-year deal.

A pairing between the Blue Jays and Martinez makes perfect sense on paper, and is really a necessity at this point for Toronto.

First off, if they were willing to give Ohtani the freedom to own the designated hitter position, they could give that same luxury to Martinez. Second, for Toronto, it's not just about the loss of Ohtani. In addition to missing out on him, they've seen Kevin Kiermaier, Whit Merrifield, Belt and Matt Chapman hit free agency. If they want to replace Merrifield and Chapman, they better get on that, and Martinez would be a good fit.

He's a six-time All-Star who had a resurgent year in Los Angeles in 2023 with the Dodgers. He made the All-Star team again, hitting .271 with 33 homers and 103 RBI. This was an improvement over the 16 homers he had in 2022 with the Red Sox.

He's played 13 years in the big leagues with the Tigers, Red Sox, Astros, Diamondbacks and Dodgers.

Lifetime, he's a .287 hitter with 315 homers and 1,002 RBI. In addition to the All-Star appearances, he's received MVP votes in four different seasons.

He helped the Red Sox win the World Series in 2018.

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