The New York Yankees just went all in. Should the Boston Red Sox try to call?
The Yankees sent shockwaves through Major League Baseball on Saturday by acquiring Miami Marlins superstar and reigning National League MVP Giancarlo Stanton. New York now boasts an incredibly potent lineup on paper, as Stanton, Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez hit a combined 160 home runs last season — just eight fewer than the Red Sox hit as a team in that span.
Power indeed was an issue for Boston in 2017, and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski admitted earlier this offseason the Red Sox might pursue a big bat. While the Sox missed out on the biggest bat of them all in Stanton, their search still is on, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.
J.D. Martinez had a breakout season in 2017, popping a career-high 45 homers along with 104 RBIs and a .303 batting average for the Detroit Tigers and Arizona Diamondbacks. The right-handed outfielder also has familiarity with Dombrowski, who signed Martinez in 2014 while serving as general manager of the Tigers.
Eric Hosmer is an intriguing option from the other side of the plate. The left-handed first baseman has tallied 50 home runs and 198 RBIs over the last two seasons for the Kansas City Royals and could fill Mitch Moreland’s role if the veteran goes elsewhere in free agency.
Neither player would come cheap — Martinez and Hosmer are clients of superagent Scott Boras, who reportedly is seeking contracts in the $200 million range for both sluggers — but at least they would provide some spark in the middle of a Boston lineup that finished last in the American League in home runs last season.
The Red Sox also could test the trade market, as the team has interest in Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber, ESPN’s Scott Lauber reported Sunday, citing a source. Schwarber would be a designated hitter candidate after popping 30 home runs in 2017, but Lauber reports that Cubs president Theo Epstein is unlikely to trade the 24-year-old, who is one of his favorite players.
The list goes on for Boston, which also could pursue free agent Carlos Santana or try and trade for Chicago White Sox slugger Jose Abreu this winter. The Yankees set a pretty high bar this weekend with the Stanton signing, though, and all eyes will be on Dombrowski in the coming weeks to see how he responds.
