The Angels Should Sign JD Martinez. Here's Why.
There seems to be a divide amongst Angels fans about whether the Angels should add a permanent DH.
I’m in the camp that wants them to add JD Martinez, the only permanent, quality DH remaining on the free-agent market.
But the other camp prefers the team leave the spot open and rotate through the DH spot, so I canvassed those fans on Twitter to find out why.
Here’s my rebuttal to those opinions and my case for why the Angels should sign JD Martinez.
"Trout and Rendon need the DH spot; don’t take DH ABs away from them”
I understand this in theory, but I’m not sure it works so well in practice. Do Trout and Rendon really need the DH spot? And do they stay healthier by getting more starts at DH?
Two of Trout’s three injuries in the last five seasons occurred while batting or baserunning, meaning they would’ve happened whether he was playing CF or DH.
Five of Rendon’s eight injuries in the last five seasons occurred while batting. And four of those were freak instances: two hit-by-pitches and foul balls off himself.
Another thing is that Trout and Rendon may not even be willing to DH.
Trout said earlier this Spring that he wants “to be out on the field,” not DHing, and Rendon has only DH’d one game in his entire career.
Trout has also hit significantly worse as a DH (.732 OPS, 111 wRC+) throughout his career.
“Give more opportunities to Adell, Moniak, and others”
This is another thing that seems overblown to me. Sure, things may look crowded initially with 5 outfielders. But injuries are inevitable, which will help clear up playing time. And it’s not like the Angels outfield is full of iron men.
IL stints over the last three seasons:
Adell: 2
Hicks: 3
Moniak: 3
Trout: 3
Ward: 4
On the infield, they have 5 players for 4 spots. Rendon has only played in 30.5% of games the last three seasons, meaning they’ll have plenty of ABs for those 5 infielders throughout the season.
“They’re not close to contention; they should tank”
Well, for one, the Angels don’t view it this way. They want to contend and have no intention of tanking. But, if you sign JD Martinez, you can flip him at the deadline for a prospect.
“JD Martinez is old, slow, and a regression candidate”
There’s no getting around the first two points: JD is old and slow. But I’d push back on the suggestion that he’s a regression candidate. Sure, he may not have a .893 OPS with 33 HRs and a 135 wRC+ next season. But his .370 xWOBA was right in line with his .369 wOBA. His Average Exit Velocity, Barrel%, Hard-Hit%, and SweetSpot% are all in the 97th-98th percentile. Even if his bat falls off some, it’ll still be an impact bat.
Wrapping things up, my case for why the Angels should sign JD Martinez comes down to this: the Angels lost a guy who had a 1.066 OPS and 180 wRC+. There’s no way to replace that, but you’re a lot closer to replacing that via a 135 wRC+ bat than a collection of average bats.
Rather than use the DH spot to rest Trout and Rendon, I’d prefer to have another middle-of-the-order bat in the lineup to be better prepared if/when Trout and Rendon get hurt.
Drury, Rengifo, Adell, Hicks, and Moniak will all get sufficient playing time, and they’ll be needed elsewhere when injuries inevitably occur.
There aren’t many obvious suitors remaining for JD Martinez and with almost two weeks to go before Opening Day, now’s the time to strike and get a deal done.
(Image via OOFOS)