Ex-Red Sox Five-Time All-Star 'Logical Trade Candidate,' Red Sox Reunion Makes Sense

Boston could use a middle-of-the-order slugger

Scott Neville | May 10, 2024

Aug 16, 2022; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Red Sox designated hitter J.D. Martinez (28) in / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox have had a significant hole missing from their lineup for the majority of the season and could look to fill it with one of the most productive sluggers in recent organizational history.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow entered his first offseason at the helm of Boston's baseball operations with the idea that the designated hitter should be a rotating cast instead of one pure everyday slugger.

After all that talk, it just became Masataka Yoshida's role and he was quickly placed in a bench purgatory for reasons unknown before hitting the injured list after jamming his finger against the Chicago Cubs weeks ago.

There are some logical trade targets to fill the DH spot on a nightly basis, including a former Red Sox slugger who dominated for years in Boston.

"The (New York) Mets could have a darned good sale with their prescient short-term signings," the New York Post's Jon Heyman wrote Thursday, referencing Luis Severino. "J.D. Martinez, Jose Quintana, Sean Manaea are among other logical trade candidates."

Martinez is hitting .297 with two extra-base hits, a pair of RBIs and a .701 OPS (107 OPS+) in 12 games after signing with the Mets late.

The 36-year-old hit .271 with 62 extra-base hits including 33 home runs, 103 RBIs and a .893 OPS (134 OPS+) in just 113 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers last season.

While it makes little sense for the Red Sox to punt on Yoshida this early into a multi-year deal, Red Sox manager Alex Cora went out of his way to bench the left-handed contact hitter prior to the injury.

The Red Sox should not be buying rentals unless they truly cement themselves into the postseason race but if they do, Martinez would be a fit. Toronto Blue Jays' Justin Turner would be as well -- and should probably be the priority if the time comes.

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Published May 10, 2024

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu