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Blue Jays: Is J.D. Martinez the impact bat the Jays need?
Toronto Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins spoke during his year-end address about the Blue Jays adding an impact bat this offseason, could free agent outfielder J.D. Martinez fit that mold for the Jays?
The 30-year old J.D. Martinez was acquired by the Arizona Diamondbacks near the trade deadline for the postseason push in the desert. Martinez absolutely dominated in his 62 games for the D’backs slashing .302/.366/.741 with 29 home runs propelling Arizona into a wild-card game. The slugger would finish the season with 45 round trippers between Detroit and Arizona.
Martinez is by definition an “impact bat” who can put a team on his back and carry the offence. There is no question that Martinez will not come cheap in his first taste of free agency after earning $11,750 million in 2017.
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The pending free agent is a natural right-fielder so he would be an obvious replacement for Jose Bautista if the Jays were willing to open up the vault to lure Martinez north of the border. The outfielder found his calling in Detroit after struggling and eventually being released by the Houston Astros in 2014.
He is a career .285/.342/.514 hitter with 152 home runs and 13.7 WAR in 772 major league games. Martinez is a home run hitter who could put up some gaudy power numbers at the friendly confines of the Rogers Centre. Martinez had this to say about his
Martinez had this to say about his approach in an earlier interview for Fangraphs.
"People talk to me and I tell them straight up. I don’t bull[crap]. In the cage, I talk about it all the time. I’m not trying to hit a [freaking] line drive or a freaking ground ball. I’m trying to hit the ball in the air. I feel like the ball in the air is my strength and has a chance to go anywhere in the park. So why am I trying to hit a ground ball? That’s what I believe in."
I realize the financial implications and the term that Martinez will demand however the thought of Josh Donaldson and J.D. Martinez quarterbacking the Blue Jays offence for years to come makes me warm and tingly inside.
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If you want to win, you need to take chances and spend money, Martinez is a player worth taking a chance on this offseason. Atkins said he wants an impact bat, talk is cheap, go get it.