Red Sox's Division Rival Reportedly Has Interest In Boston's Former Four-Time All-Star

Boston could use the big bat themselves

Scott Neville | Dec 14, 2023

Red Sox's Division Rival Reportedly Has Interest In Boston's Former Four-Time All-Star /

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The Boston Red Sox have spent most of the offseason watching impact players fall off the board.

The starting pitching market is where Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow plans to make his mark but negotiations are on pause as Major League Baseball awaits Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto's decision.

Until that domino falls, the Red Sox are likely to be largely inactive. Meanwhile, the rest of the American League East continues to add.

Not long after the Baltimore Orioles snagged closer Craig Kimbrel, the Toronto Blue Jays reportedly have shown interest in another core member of the Red Sox's esteemed 2018 World Series roster.

"This roster needs its Brandon Belt, and the Blue Jays have interest in (J.D.) Martinez as a veteran run producer," MLB.com's Keegan Matheson wrote Monday. "Martinez isn’t slowing down and should be available on a two-year deal."

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

The 36-year-old previously posted a combined 135 OPS+ in five seasons with the Red Sox, securing four All-Star nods in the process -- the 2020 shortened season did not have an All-Star Game, so he went four-for-four.

The Blue Jays took a big swing on Shohei Ohtani but ultimately whiffed, leaving the team in need of a designated hitter. The one silver lining, they forced Martinez out of Los Angeles, which could lead to them adding an impact bat.

The Red Sox also are in need of a right-handed slugger but Breslow seemed to prefer to use the extra spot in the lineup to create more options for manager Alex Cora -- getting players off their feet or optimizing the lineup defensively -- instead of having an everyday designated hitter.

If Breslow does go against his comments at the GM Meetings, it appears that Justin Turner would be the more likely candidate for the job.

Martinez was incredible in his role with Boston but it sounds as if a reunion is unlikely regardless of the Blue Jays' pursuit.

More MLB: Royals Reportedly Land Ex-Padres Veteran Pitcher To Help Improve Starting Rotation

Published Dec 14, 2023

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