Boston Red Sox: If Giancarlo Stanton trade fails, there’s Khris Davis

This is the winter of the inevitable Giancarlo Stanton trade. The latest from the rumor mill suggests the Boston Red Sox are a favorite. If they fail to execute, a trade with the Oakland Athletics for Khris Davis is the next best thing.

When will the Miami Marlins trade Giancarlo Stanton? It seems like the reigning home run champion is headed away from South Beach any day now. One of those destinations could be Boston.

Talks between the Marlins and the Boston Red Sox are reportedly getting hot and heavy. After a year which included fewer home runs than they’d like, the Red Sox are determined to add a power bat this winter. Stanton is the best one available through trade with J.D. Martinez as the best free agent. By one way or another, the Red Sox are going to land a guy with 40+ home runs in his bat.

When it comes to those two, money is a factor. Stanton is owed a ridiculous amount of money for many years with a player option as an escape route for him should he choose to use it. Martinez will join him at the preferred customer’s line at the bank, but not to the same extent. He’ll likely pass the $100 million threshold and burden whichever team he signs with later on in his career after the best years are through.

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If the Red Sox are unwilling to accept that Stanton and Martinez will eat up a huge chunk of payroll, they can always turn to the Oakland Athletics. Last year’s team survived on the home run ball. Most notably, it was slugger Khris Davis who hammered his way among the league leaders.

For the second straight season, we witnessed Davis smash 40 dingers and drive in 100. Davis did so in a ballpark not necessarily known for being a hitter’s park. Also worth noting, he did this on an often inept Athletics’ team.

Davis is certainly limited in his abilities. The 29-year-old righty is a poor defender who strikes out a lot. Sound familiar? He’s actually a lot more like Martinez than we realize.

Davis finished the last three seasons with a .247 batting average. He did, however, increase a poor OBP last year up to a respectable .336 for a new career-high. Davis is getting better at drawing walks which only adds to his value.

Labeling it, Davis is a poor man’s version of Martinez. The Red Sox, while not poor, do need to consider options other than the most expensive ones out there. They have a lot invested in other pieces. Chris Sale and Craig Kimbrel are also free agents after next season. To keep them, bargains like Davis are helpful. He’ll certainly hit another 40 home runs with the Red Sox. Davis may even take advantage of the Big Green Monster and use it to bash a few more doubles that would have otherwise been long loud outs.

Even though the Red Sox are a favorite to land Stanton, no one knows for sure exactly what the Marlins will ask for in return. The Red Sox farm system is drying up with its young stars either with other teams or now playing a role in MLB. In order to acquire Stanton, they will need to part with these key pieces. If they’re outbid or simply posting an unfavorable package, they could then turn to the Athletics and see what Davis will cost.

The great thing about Davis is just how much of a bargain he is. There are two years of arbitration remaining on his contract. If things don’t work out too well, the Red Sox can escape mostly unscathed.

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The same isn’t true if Boston makes a trade for Stanton. They could get stuck with an albatross and soon realize they’re stuck with yet another bad contract on the books.