Ranking the power-hitting options still available on the open market

3. J.D. Martinez

If it wasn’t for the fact that J.D. Martinez was heading towards his twilight years pretty soon, he would be ranked even higher on this list. That is because Martinez has been a proven, reliable, prolific hitter for much of his 13-year MLB career. With a career .287 batting average and an .874 OPS, along with 315 home runs and 1002 RBI in 1522 games played, he can no doubt be an offensive machine for any ballclub that he ends up joining. If that wasn’t convincing enough, Martinez was also named an All-Star six times, including the past three seasons, and captured the Silver Slugger award twice.

At this point in his career, Martinez is most suited in the designated hitter role in which he has played primarily for the past five seasons to maximize his effectiveness. But if the Jays need him for a spot start or two in the corner outfield positions once in a while, he could probably still hold his own. Nevertheless, Martinez would be an amazing add to the ballclub as not only is he a considerable upgrade over Brandon Belt from last season, but he also brings with him his breadth of playoff experience, including his World Series winning season in 2018. But at age 36 entering the 2024 season, there is a slight risk that Father Time could hit Martinez any time soon.

2. Jorge Soler

Soler almost single-handedly fueled the Miami Marlins’ offensive attack in 2023, leading them to their second postseason berth in four years in the process. In 2023, he also became an All-Star for the first time ever in his career as he led his team in runs scored with 77, home runs by a mile with 36 (the next closest player had only 19), walks with 66 and a slugging percentage of .512. More impressively, he was able to accomplish it without the benefit of having any superstars batting before or after him in the lineup.

Also, when compared to some of the other candidates, Soler at least is able to provide acceptable defence in the outfield if needed. In his past two seasons, he had committed zero errors in 89 total games as a corner outfielder to go along with a -6 DRS. Consequently, it can give the Jays some flexibility in terms of if they wanted to deploy him as an outfielder or designated hitter depending on the matchups. And at only the young age of 32 entering the 2024 MLB season, Soler should have plenty of good years left in the tank and remain an effective hitter for the near future.