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

Red Sox could trade Martinez to the Los Angeles Dodgers

The Red Sox have a long history of trading star talent to the Dodgers so naturally, they land at the top of the list. Los Angeles has swung deadline deals for Manny Machado, Yu Darvish, Max Scherzer and Trea Turner in recent years. They still have a strong farm system with chips to offer as they make a push for their first title in decades that wasn’t earned during a COVID-shortened season.

We tend to think of the Dodgers as a stacked team overloaded with depth but that hasn’t been the case this year. Max Muncy is hitting .158, Cody Bellinger is hitting .205, and they both are slugging well under .400 this season. Chris Taylor’s injury has forced the Dodgers to rely on guys like Trayce Thompson and Zach McKinstry in the outfield.

The DH hasn’t been the glaring weakness that it has been for other teams on this list, as the Dodgers are 9th in the majors  at the position with 112 wRC+ and 11th with 1.5 WAR. That’s partially due to Justin Turner spending nearly half his time in that role though. Turner is having a down year by his standards but he’s still a solid bat.

When they aren’t using Turner at DH, the Dodgers are utilizing the underwhelming Edwin Rios or journeymen such as Jake Lamb and Hanser Alberto. If Turner can spend more time at third base, limiting playing time for the struggling Muncy, the Dodgers could replace their collection of lightweights sharing the DH spot with Martinez.

The Dodgers already have the league’s best offense but they still have holes. Martinez’s right-handed bat would help balance a lineup that often starts at least four lefties. This team is already loaded with star power but recent history shows they won’t hesitate to add more at the trade deadline.