The Boston Red Sox reportedly have free agent first baseman/outfielder Logan Morrison on their radar as a potential backup plan to J.D. Martinez.
For a while, it was beginning to look like the pairing of J.D. Martinez with the Boston Red Sox was inevitable. It still seems to be the most likely scenario, although we learned this week that Martinez has other options with the Arizona Diamondbacks finally getting serious in negotiations. Not to worry – the Red Sox have other options too.
FanRag’s Jon Heyman reports that while Martinez remains Boston’s top option, Logan Morrison has emerged as a potential backup plan.
Morrison is coming off a career year in which he hit .246 with a .868 OPS, 38 home runs, and 85 RBI. His home run total was met with some skepticism given that it more than doubles anything he’s tallied over the previous five seasons yet advanced statistics suggest it wasn’t entirely a fluke.
He raised his walk rate to a career-best 13.5 percent to rank 14th in the majors. His fly ball rate jumped from a career 37.5 percent to 46.2 percent and his .270 ISO power tied for 10th in the majors. Morrison also ranked 23rd in barrels per plate appearance, per Statcast.
The 130 wRC+ that Morrison produced last season ranked 30th in the majors. While it’s a far cry from the 166 wRC+ of Martinez, who ranked third, Morrison’s 2017 mark is in line with the career 129 wRC+ of Martinez.
Morrison doesn’t provide much value with his glove but he’s not quite the liability in the field that Martinez is. Despite the latter’s offensive dominance, the gap in their overall value isn’t as far apart as you might expect. FanGraphs valued Morrison at 3.3 WAR last season, while Martinez posted a 3.8 WAR.
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If the Red Sox signed Morrison he would primarily serve as the designated hitter. His left-handed swing doesn’t make him an ideal platoon partner with Mitch Moreland. He could still see some time at first base where he plays passable defense and be used in a pinch as a corner outfielder. Hanley Ramirez would presumably fill in for either Moreland or Morrison when a southpaw is on the mound. This would open more playing time for Ramirez than he’d have with Martinez on board, while still limiting his plate appearance to a level that should prevent his 2019 option from vesting.
It’s unclear how much Morrison is asking for but we can bet he’ll sign for far cheaper than Martinez. His stellar 2017 season will need to be weighed against his limited track record. There hasn’t been much noise this winter regarding interest in Morrison, although that may be due to teams waiting for bigger dominoes to fall.
Still, in this limited market, it’s hard to imagine the 30-year old topping the 3-year, $39 million deal Jay Bruce received from the New York Mets. Bruce is only a few months older than Morrison and has five 30+ homer seasons on his resume.
Red Sox and Logan Morrison's camp have been in touch recently. Sox still want Martinez, but there is groundwork for alternatives
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) February 9, 2018
Martinez is clearly the top bat of the market and should remain Boston’s top choice. However, if he continues to insist on at least six years with an average of $25+ million per year then the Red Sox would be wise to consider other options. Morrison may not be a better player but he could be a far better value. A shorter deal similar to what free agents of similar caliber have signed, including Bruce, Carlos Santana, and Todd Frazier, also suits Boston’s timeline. His salary would clear the books around the same time the Red Sox need to pay some of their young talents.
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Rumors of their interest in Morrison could simply be a ploy by the Red Sox to gain leverage over Martinez. However, he would be a viable option if their top target spurns their offer to stay in Arizona. It’s not the big splash they are hoping for but they do need a backup plan in case the Martinez negotiations fall apart. As far as Plan B’s go, the Red Sox could do a lot worse than Morrison.