Blue Jays Have Interest In J.D. Martine

As they look for ways to bolster their lineup this winter, the Blue Jays have some interest in veteran slugger , . Toronto has a clear opening at designated hitter now that has chosen to sign with the Dodgers, and Martinez would fill that role quite capably. The former Tigers, Matisse Thybulle Jersey D-backs, Red Sox and Dodgers slugger is coming off a resurgent .271/.321/.572 batting line with Los Angeles, where he belted 33 home runs in just 479 trips to the plate. Martinezs rebound in the power department was accompanied by a career-worst 31.3% strikeout rate, which is alarming for a 36-year-old bat-only player, but the 2023 production was undeniably excellent. Martinez would effectively be replacing , who enjoyed a productive season as the Jays primary designated hitter but comes with greater platoon splits. Belt, as hes done throughout most of his peak, crushed right-handed pitching but was a non-factor against lefties (.235/.308/.265 in 39 plate appearances). Martinez, meanwhile, tormented both left-handers (.274/.343/.581) and right-handers (.270/.312/.569) alike. The Jays currently project for a $203MM payroll, , which clocks in about $11MM shy of their 2023 end-of-season mark. Theyll be in franchise-record payroll territory even if they dont make any other additions, thanks largely to arbitration increases for Guerrero, Varsho, Jansen and others. That said, the Jays pursuits of Ohtani and , plus their reported interest in and other free agents indicate that ownership is comfortable adding to the payroll. Martinezs age likely caps him at a two-year deal (if not a one-year pact), which should only increase his appeal to a win-now club like Toronto. Its not an ideal fit between the two parties, as Martinez would give the Jays yet another right-handed bat in a lineup thats already lacking lefty hitters. figures to slide over to center field if free agent signs elsewhere, and the lineup doesnt have any other everyday players who bat from the left side. and outfielder could get some looks, as could infield prospect , but the vast majority of the lineup consists of right-handed bats: , , , , and . The Jays could still sign Martinez and bring in a different left-handed bat to help balance out the lineup. is the top free-agent outfield option, but the trade market includes names like and switch-hitter (to say nothing of the Giants glut of lefty-swinging outfielders that are increasingly redundant following their signing of ). To call the free-agent market for left-handed-hitting infielders bleak would be an understatement, but the trade market again poses plenty of alternatives switch-hitting perhaps chief among them. In addition to the Twins, both the Cardinals and Reds have potential infield surpluses from which they could deal. Maurice Cheeks Jersey