According to a report by John Perrotto of FanRag, the Detroit Tigers are expected to shop outfielder J.D. Martinez at the Winter Meetings next week. He’s one of several high priced veterans the team is looking to deal as they seek to get younger while shedding some payroll.
Martinez, 29, batted .307/.373/.535 this past season for the Tigers with 35 doubles, 22 home runs and 68 RBI with a 144 OPS+ in 517 plate appearances.
In three seasons with Detroit, Martinez has averaged 33 doubles, 27 homers and 82 RBI while batting .299 and producing a .898 OPS.
A former All Star and Silver Slugger in right field, Martinez will earn $11.75 million in 2017 and is eligible for free agency at the end of the season.
“You’re not going to get a ton for a guy with one year of control but he’s a right-handed hitter who can pop you 30 home run and that’s a valuable commodity,” a scout from an AL team said. “He’s one guy they should be able to get something for.”
With a scarcity of right-handed power bats available in free agency after Yoenis Cespedes and Edwin Encarnacion, Martinez could prove to be a very attractive option for many teams.
According to Jon Heyman, the Mets could be one of those teams if they fail to re-sign Yoenis Cespedes. But don’t count on that…
