Should The Red Sox Sign Eric Hosmer or JD Martinez This Offseason?

I want to start off this blog by saying that no matter what I say, it does NOT reflect how badly I want to see Giancarlo Stanton in Boston. The remainder of these fine words on this page are strictly going with the idea that the Red Sox will not land Stanton which means they need to find a power bat in a different way. Who knows if the reports are true, but it was said earlier today that Stanton would use his no-trade clause if he were to be dealt to Boston or St. Louis.

Did that bring me back to the early high school days when my girlfriend broke up with me? Worse. That stung. Why Giancarlo? We could have been so good together. We would have treated you like a God damn king. What do you want to do? Go to the Giants? They STINK. What about Philly? Hahahahahahah PLEASE.

Our doors are still open. Sometimes you say things that you don’t mean and I get it. You can take it back whenever you want and just come play for us. Just think about it. Dunks, every single day. Whatever you want, we have for you. Well accept for beautiful weather year round and positive attitudes. But we have mostly everything else.

Moving on though. Let’s say that the Red Sox don’t land Stanton. Well that means that there are two big name free agents who I think have a strong possibility of coming to Boston. One is Eric Hosmer. Hosmer has been the Kansas City Royals first baseman for a long, long time now and was apart of one of the most boring World Series teams to ever win it all in 2015. Hosmer too won the 2017 Gold Glove award for the American League at first base. Don’t ask me how that award is different compared to the Defensive Player of the Year Award, because I have zero idea.

And the other free agent on the market is JD Martinez formerly of the the Arizona Diamondbacks and Detroit Tigers. Martinez is a power bat outfielder who slugged 45 dingers this past season and even had an opportunity to dip his toe in the postseason water in 2017 before Arizona got swiftly eliminated.

The question as we sit in the middle of the GM meetings this week is; Who should the Red Sox spend their loads of cash on and award a major deal?

We’ll start off with Eric Hosmer and the reasons why he would benefit the Sox.

First, it fills an obvious hole at first base. With Mitch Moreland’s deal only lasting one year, it appears as though the Red Sox will not be resigning him. Or at least there has been zero discussion of making that happen as far as I know.

Hosmer would cost significantly more than Moreland ever would. Last season Moreland hit for a .246 average with 22 home runs. Now although the home run numbers are comparable to Hosmer’s (25), Hosmer’s batting average was significantly higher at .318.

What Hosmer would fix in my opinion is one of the most hindering aspects of Boston’s offense during the 2017 season… Leaving men on base.

In 2017 with runners on second base, Hosmer hit for an average of .304. And with a runner at third base, he hit for .520. He shapes up to be one of those players you can plug into the 4 or 5 spot and drive the early men in the lineup who were able to get on. With a man on second, Moreland in this past season only hit for a lowly .170, and with a man on third just .214.

So with Hosmer there is a significant improvement offensively compared to what you had last season. And defensively it’s tough to say who is more talented between the two because they are both some of the best in the game in that regard. But because of the compelling offensive numbers Hosmer shows, he would improve this team from the moment he takes the field.

The lone reason why the Red Sox shouldn’t sign him is due to his power numbers. Hosmer, while a great hitter for average, doesn’t hit for the amount of power that I think the Red Sox, and Dave Dombrowski, are looking for. Believe me when I say, 25 bombs isn’t anything to shy away from. If it came down to it and I get a notification telling me that the Red Sox went out and got Hosmer I would be jacked up about it. But compared to what else is on the market, you can get some more power.

Now let’s look at JD Martinez. Martinez has been linked to the Red Sox for a majority of the season in 2017. He seems to fit the mold of what they are looking for. A guy who hits well for average and has a lot of pop.

At this point the Red Sox are not to concerned with their defense. And why should they be? Between having the best outfield in the game and having an infield who makes an SC Top 10 play after play, I think they are well maintained in that area.

With the defense on lock, I think if Martinez came here he would immediately be placed in the DH role shifting Hanley Ramirez back to first base where he has shown he can play in the past.

That is, unless the Red Sox trade current center fielder, Jackie Bradley Junior, to a team looking to add to their outfield. I only say that because according to reports, the San Francisco Giants have inquired about the star outfielder. And when I say star, I mean defensively. Other than Xander Bogaerts there is nobody who frustrates me more at the plate than JBJ.

JD Martinez would help this Red Sox team take the next step that they have desperately been in search of since the departure of David Ortiz. Since his leadership and offensive prowess has been removed from the Boston clubhouse, it is clear the team has been lost. Hell, even with the rumored “juiced balls” in the last year the Red Sox STILL couldn’t get the ball out of the ballpark. I still can’t tell if it was high key impressive that they couldn’t get the ball out of the infield, or gut wrenching.

Getting back on track though, Martinez will absolutely fill that power roll. And I’ll be honest, until I took a peak at all of his numbers, I actually had no idea how much this guy cranked.

Martinez finished off the season with a very respectable .303 average and 45 home runs like I said earlier. Insane. That is exactly what this Red Sox team needs. A guy who rakes and who will play the outfield when you need him to, and DH when you don’t.

Look, if you’re going to spend the money on a big name, make sure it counts and fits the mold of what you need for the next season, and years ahead. If you are able to sign this guy to a potential 3-5 year deal, at whatever the cost, than I think this is flat out the smarter move than Hosmer.

With there only being a two year age difference, while it does add some points to the Hosmer side, it doesn’t completely move the needle in his direction.

Hosmer is an incredibly talented player. He can hit for some power, play top of the line defense and get on base when you need him to. But what this team was sorely lacking was power. And Martinez would give the Red Sox exactly that while hitting for a strong average at the same time.

And like I said earlier, if Bleacher Report shoots me a notification on December 11th saying that the Red Sox inked Eric Hosmer for the next five seasons, than I am in on Hosmer.

Would I be slightly disappointed that they didn’t get a guy with more power? Absolutely. Because again, while Hosmer is an excellent piece, I don’t think he puts you over that offensive threshold that you’re trying to climb over.

My prediction? At some point in December, I expect the Red Sox to be introducing JD Martinez to the Boston Red Sox media, and not Eric Hosmer, and sadly not Giancarlo Stanton. Mark it down.

Written By: Nick Quaglia (@NickQuag)

(Featured image used from Boston Sports Journal)