Arizona Diamondbacks: Who could replace Martinez?

Arizona Diamondbacks and their quest to replace J.D. Martinez

On the day after the Arizona Diamondbacks were eliminated from post-season play, first baseman Paul Goldschmidt reflected on the moment.

Pensive and thoughtful, Paul Goldschmidt told Call to the Pen the moment was particularly sensitive.

While always losing weights on the minds of the vanquished, this moment was exceptionally searching.

That’s because of the composition of teams changes from season to season, Goldschmidt told Call to the Pen, and there is no guarantee the team which achieved to post-season play could continue intact. More importantly, a larger question becomes whether a player can repeat a productive season and help a team trend upward.

The latter would take into account the contribution of outfielder J. D. Martinez. Combined with Detroit and Arizona, the 30-year-old hit .303 with 45 homers and drove in 104 runs. With the Diamondbacks alone, the Miami native batted .302 with 29 bombs, drove in 65 runs and registers a 1.107 OPS in 62 games.

Despite the numbers, the prospect of Martinez repeating is the unknown factor. Based on his most recent level of achievement, Martinez’s new agent, Scott Boros, reportedly started cash register at $200 million. Last season, Martinez earned $11,750 million, and now the bidding war commenced.

Playing in “a small market,” the Diamondbacks appear economically overmatched. One possible way to come close to Boros’ asking price would be to ask pitcher Zack Greinke ($206 million) and outfielder Yasmany Tomas ($68 million) to restructure their contracts.

So far this off-season, there is no movement and no indication that there will be any movement.

Though Arizona president and CEO Derrick Hall recently told Call to the Pen that the Diamondbacks “will be aggressive” in a pursuit of Martinez, the club lacks to the deep pockets and resources to compete with other clubs.

All of which leaves Mike Hazen, the Arizona GM, and Torey Lovullo, the team’s field manager, to consider possible replacements.

A principal factor could be the health of Tomas. Originally placed on the Disabled List on June 6 with right groin tendinitis and eventually undergoing core surgery on August 22 which shut down the native of Cuba, Tomas was essentially ineffective.

For the season, Tomas appeared on only 47 games and hit .241. In 2016, Tomas banged out 30 homers and drove in 83 runs (.273 batting average in 140 games).

If the Arizona Diamondbacks are unable to retain Martinez, then Tomas’ availability becomes important. Regarded as a liability in left field, the Diamondbacks would have several decisions and to weight Tomas’ value from an offensive and defensive perspective.

Assuming Hazen is successful in signing outfielders David Peralta and A. J. Pollock, both restricted free agents and Martinez lands elsewhere, Peralta would move back to right field and Tomas would likely get the first priority in left field.

That could also open the door to outfield prospects, Victor Reyes and Socrates Brito; both had successful seasons in the minors. Brito broke his right hand in spring training but recovered to hit .291 in 71 games at Triple-AAA Reno, and Reyes is coming off a .292 season at Double-AA Jackson.

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Then again, there are always transactions. In Hazen’s first move as Arizona GM, he picked up outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker, who started 2017 at the major league but ended mostly with Triple-AAA Reno.

Welcome

The Diamondbacks added left-hander reliever Jared Miller to the 40-man, major league roster. Originally, Miller was selected in the 11th round of the 2014 draft out of Vanderbilt University.

Between Double AA-Jackson and Triple-AAA Reno, Miller posted a combined 2.93 ERA with three saves and 94 strikeouts in 53 appearances. With Reno, opponents batted .172 against the native of Columbus, Ohio.

Next: Top 25 free agent hitters for 2017-18

During the 2016 season, Miller, who began the year with Single-A Kane County, was promoted four times through the Arizona organization and ended the season with Reno.

The Arizona Diamondbacks 40-man roster now stands at 38 players.