5 trade deadline destinations for Red Sox DH J.D. Martinez

BOSTON, MA - JULY 24: J.D. Martinez #28 of the Boston Red Sox against the New York Yankees during the ninth inning at Fenway Park on July 24, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - JULY 24: J.D. Martinez #28 of the Boston Red Sox against the New York Yankees during the ninth inning at Fenway Park on July 24, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
2 of 6
Red Sox DH J.D. Martinez
ST PETERSBURG, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 08: J.D. Martinez #28 of the Boston Red Sox celebrates his three-run homerun in the fifth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays during Game 2 of the American League Division Series at Tropicana Field on October 08, 2021 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)

Red Sox could trade Martinez to the Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners have been one of the hottest teams in baseball this month. They entered July with a disappointing 37-42 record that put them in fourth place in the AL West and five games out of a Wild Card spot. Seattle enters the day at 54-46 and in control of the second Wild Card spot. It’s been over 20 years since the Mariners made a playoff appearance so they should be going all in to secure their spot in the postseason.

Seattle’s biggest weakness has been filling the DH role where they rank 28th in the majors with 73 wRC+ and tied for 25th with -0.6 WAR, per FanGraphs.

The Mariners acquired Carlos Santana from the Kansas City Royals about a month ago but he hasn’t done much to improve their DH production. Santana is hitting a woeful .175 with a .670 OPS in 24 games with the Mariners. He offers some decent pop with his bat but his season splits suggest he should only be in the lineup against lefties.

Martinez would be a significant upgrade who can help anchor the middle of the order. Santana can still be useful pinch-hitting against southpaws while seeing occasional time at DH or first base. All-Star first baseman Ty France has the versatility to handle second and third base, giving Seattle some flexibility to fit these bats into their lineup.

Schedule