New York Mets Among Teams Monitoring J.D. Martinez's Availability
In this story:
Of course they are.
A number of contending teams are monitoring the potential availability of Boston Red Sox All-Star slugger J.D. Martinez, with the Mets being one of said clubs.
According to league sources, the Mets (and others) are keeping an eye on Boston's situation, regarding whether they're going to be sellers or not, as we near the August 2 trade deadline. The Mets are believed to really like Martinez, given the significant impact his bat would make in their lineup.
Boston's latest loss on Sunday dropped them to .500; they've lost 9 of their last 10 games and are 3 1/2 out of the third Wild Card spot in the American League. Not to mention, they're 17 1/2 games behind the Yankees and in fourth place in the AL East, with the last place Baltimore Orioles just a half game back of them.
While the Red Sox still have a chance to make a run at a postseason spot, it has become abundantly clear that they aren't going to be able to seriously contend for a World Series title this year. They also have a number of talented high-priced veteran players nearing free agency, Martinez being one of them, as well as shortstop Xander Bogaerts (player option), who could very well be another significant name to hit the open market in the offseason. Some within the industry are under the impression that if Boston doesn't sell at the deadline, they will wind up doing so this winter. Why not get a head start? In Martinez's case, they can either get pieces for him now, or let him walk in free agency for nothing.
The Red Sox and Mets have discussed a possible trade involving first baseman/DH Dominic Smith in recent weeks. Various player names are generally brought up in these types of conversations, so it's certainly possible that Smith could be packaged with a prospect or multiple in a deal for Martinez, albeit the likelihood of this occurrence is currently unknown.
The Mets are still looking for another bat after landing DH Daniel Vogelbach in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday. Vogelbach mashes right-handed pitching (.896 OPS, 149 wRC+ in 2022), but the Mets are in need of a bat who can hit lefties, in the very least.
General manager Billy Eppler has also made it clear that he prefers positional versatility when looking at potential future offensive upgrades.
"In general, I'm going to value positional versatility - unless we're talking about complete impact level players," Eppler said on Friday.
Martinez has corner outfield experience, but has strictly served as a DH this season. He isn't viewed as a defensive option, so his fit with the Mets is difficult to envision, given he'd minimize the versatility of the roster. That said, the five-time All-Star qualifies as a "complete impact level player."
Martinez, who turns 35 next month, is a right-handed bat, whose home run (9) and RBI totals (38) are a bit down, but he is still slashing .302/.368/.481 with a .849 OPS. He comes along with an impressive track record and would be a major production upgrade in the DH spot for the Mets.
In addition to Martinez, who the Mets are keeping an eye on, New York has shown interest in Josh Bell (have discussed a trade offer with Washington, as Inside the Mets reported), Trey Mancini and C.J. Cron, among others.
Michael Marino provided additional reporting in this story.
Read More:
- Mets Discussed Trade Offer With Nationals for Josh Bell
- Mets Acquire 1B/DH Daniel Vogelbach From Pirates
- Jacob deGrom to Make at Least 1 More Rehab Start Before Mets Return
Follow Pat Ragazzo on Twitter (@ragazzoreport), be sure to bookmark Inside The Mets and check back daily for news, analysis and more.
