Could the Red Sox replace J.D. Martinez with a fellow veteran slugger?
The New York Post’s Jon Heyman kicked around the idea after Martinez left Boston in free agency to reportedly sign a one-year deal with the Dodgers. Martinez’s new deal might have marked the end of the road in Los Angeles for Justin Turner, who’s been with the organization since 2014 and turned 38 last month. Heyman on Saturday reported the Dodgers haven’t definitively moved on from Turner, but if he ultimately does need to find a new home, perhaps the Red Sox could provide it.
“Dodgers haven’t ruled out Justin Turner even with JD Martinez in the fold,” Heyman tweeted. “Other possibilities for Turner include D-Backs, Marlins. Or could Red Sox replace JD with JT?”
Turner was an All-Star as recently as 2021 and appears to have enough left in the tank to be an impactful member of an MLB team. Furthermore, Boston could use a potent bat as well as a veteran presence in the clubhouse. Turner potentially could provide both of those services at a reasonable-to-low cost in his 15th big-league season.
That said, Chaim Bloom and company might prefer taking a platoon approach to the designated hitter spot after Martinez took ownership of it for five seasons in Boston.
