Dodgers: Pass or pursue on the 10 biggest free agents this offseason
By Jason Reed
2. OF J.D. Martinez
The Arizona Diamondbacks made a push of their own for the World Series by acquiring J.D. Martinez in July for a trio of lesser known prospects. Of course, Martinez was a great fit with the hard-hitting Diamondbacks offense, as he batted .302 with 29 home runs and 65 RBIs in 62 games played with Arizona.
However, as Dodger fans well know, acquiring Martinez still was not enough for the Diamondbacks to make it past the NLDS. Realistically, the team is fine offensively with Yasmany Tomas set to return from injury, so losing Martinez is not the worst that can happen. Because of that, Martinez may be looking to go elsewhere to solidify his chances at winning a ring.
Perhaps Martinez could head to Dodger Stadium, where he had a .357 batting average in three games with a four home run sprinkled in.
Like with Lorenzo Cain, the Dodgers could use another deadly right-handed bat to throw into the lineup. Chris Taylor is good, but nobody knows how long he will remain consistent. When Justin Turner is struggling the Dodgers have no other viable right-handed bats in the middle of the order. Yasiel Puig is the closest but he is far too inconsistent.
Thus, Martinez may be the perfect piece to fill in at left field and provide a great right-handed bat at the four spot, moving Cody Bellinger to fifth. While his $25.9 million Spotrac estimate is high, it is doable for the Dodgers.