Red Sox: 3 DH replacement options if JD Martinez opts out

Will JD Martinez opt out of his final year with the Boston Red Sox?

The Boston Red Sox may have to add one very big item to their offseason agenda.

On Tuesday, Ken Rosenthal speculated that JD Martinez would opt out of the final year on his contract:

“I expect him to opt out. He’s got one year, over $19 million left on that deal. Could he beat that guaranteed (money) on the open market? Yes. Absolutely, he could.”

Martinez signed a five-year deal during 2018 Spring Training which included opt-outs after the 2019, 2020, and 2021 seasons.

After tying for the MLB lead in doubles and hitting 28 home runs in 2021, Martinez can almost certainly command more on the open market than the $19.35 million he will receive if he opts in.

If Martinez does opt out, the Red Sox will have big shoes to fill. After all, Martinez’s predecessor at DH was David Ortiz, and the successes of the franchise over the last two decades are due in large part to them.

Here are three DH options who could replace Martinez if he opts out:

The Red Sox could move Rafael Devers to DH

This feels like a natural fit, as Rafael Devers is considered Ortiz’s heir apparent. Ortiz has even said he sees himself in the hard-hitting Devers.

Offensively, Devers is a pitcher’s nightmare. In 2019, he led the AL with 54 doubles and led all of MLB with 359 total bases. He was only 22 years old at the time.

This season, Devers slashed .279/.352/.538 with a .890 OPS, 37 doubles, 101 runs scored, and 113 driven in. He also hit a new career-high 38 home runs. In 11 postseason games, he hit five home runs, scored 11, and drove in 12.

While Devers has shown flashes of brilliance at third base, he’s also made far too many errors for a player who just completed their fifth year in the big leagues. He’s made at least 22 errors in each of the last three full seasons, and 14 errors in only 57 games in 2020. He has almost as many career errors (96) as he does home runs (112).

Top prospect Triston Casas is raking in the Arizona Fall League and was elevated to Triple-A late in the minor league season. With his expected arrival in the big leagues next year, Bobby Dalbec could move to third base, and Devers could inherit the DH position. He only turned 25 last month and isn’t a free agent until 2024, so the Sox would be sitting pretty for a long time if they choose to give him the massive contract he deserves.

The Red Sox could sign Kyle Seager to DH after the Mariners declined to pick up his option

Kyle Seager has been with the Seattle Mariners since they drafted him in 2009, but after 11 seasons in the big leagues, they are declining his option and sending him into the open waters of free agency.

At 33 years old, Seager proved he still had a lot in the tank this season, hitting a career-high 35 home runs. It was only the second 30+ HR season of his career, and his first since 2016.

Seager doesn’t really hit for average (his career-best is .278), but he’s a durable player who has appeared in 150+ regular-season games in eight of his 11 seasons, and last year, led the AL by appearing in all 60 games.

A longtime third baseman, Seager could also take turns with Rafael Devers, sharing both positions.

One thing that might deter the Sox from targeting Seager is his lack of postseason experience; he has none. While you can’t fault him for being a Mariner for his entire career, playoff experience matters in Boston. In that way, they’d be signing him sight unseen.

Seager is not much younger than Martinez, but the Red Sox have had plenty of players defy the age stereotype before, including David Ortiz. If the Sox aren’t ready to implement the Devers/Dalbec/Casas setup, Seager is an interesting fit.