Yankees Talking With Former Red Sox All-Star To Replace Giancarlo Stanton

New York wants to make sure it's offense doesn't lose too much firepower with Stanton out

Aug 14, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; A detailed view of a New York Yankees hat and glove on the bench against the Atlanta Braves in the third inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The New York Yankees are reportedly talking to a former Boston Red Sox World Series champion slugger about joining the Bronx Bombers.

The Yankees have accepted the reality that slugger Giancarlo Stanton won’t be ready for Opening Day, and as a result, New York is hunting on the market for more offense.

According to a new report from New York Post’s Jon Heyman published on Thursday, the Yankees’ search for another bat has led them to a former Red Sox All-Star and Silver Slugger who most recently played for the New York Mets.

“There’s no timetable yet on Yankees star DH Giancarlo Stanton, who’s sidelined with painful tendon issues in both elbows and undergoing testing they’re characterizing as unrelated back in New York,” Heyman wrote.

“But with Stanton unable to do any baseball activity and in New York, it seems very unlikely he’ll be ready for Opening Day and could possibly be out for weeks.”

“There’s been some contact with J.D. Martinez. But it might be hard to figure out how to bring him in as a stopgap player because there’s surely hope and expectation for Stanton to return.”

Heyman’s breaking news story on Martinez sent reactive shockwaves through Major League Baseball media.

Empire Sports Media’ Ryan Garcia responded by pointing out how Martinez would be an awesome hitter at Yankee Stadium given his propensity to drive the ball to the opposite field.

Despite Martinez declining at the plate over the course of 2024, Garcia believes Yankee Stadium could allow Martinez to experience a resurgence.

“His OPS dropped from .806 to .623 after the All-Star Break, but he could be even better with the Yankees with how well he drives the ball to right field,” Garcia wrote.

“Last season Martinez would have hit six more home runs had he played all of his games at Yankee Stadium, raising his total to 22.”

“With a strong opposite-field approach, J.D Martinez could attack right field aggressively, but the Yankees know that they have some young internal options like Ben Rice who can get time at DH. What we could see is a cheap contract that allows Martinez to get a larger share of his at-bats against LHP, with Rice taking a good chunk of the DH at-bats against RHP.”

“In 2024 J.D. Martinez slugged .466 against LHP with a 139 wRC+, and that could be extremely valuable given what the Yankees will be without Giancarlo Stanton.”

Martinez in pinstripes would only make the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry more juicy in 2025. It’s already expected to be a rivalry of renewed interest now that Boston has reloaded its roster and is poised to contend for not only the American League East crown but a World Series.

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