Detroit Tigers: Exploring Leonys Martin trade scenarios

The Red Sox already have a left-handed hitting, excellent defensive center fielder in Jackie Bradley Jr. However, Bradley Jr. has been absolutely atrocious at the plate this season, slashing a miserable .199/.291/.323 with five home runs and eight stolen bases. While Martin likely wouldn’t take over the starting duties from JBJ, he would give the Red Sox much-needed depth in the outfield.

Andrew Benintendi and Mookie Betts round out Boston’s outfield. Both of them are elite, and both might be starting in next month’s all-star game. However, beyond those two and Bradley the team lacks depth in the outfield. The only other players to see the grass for Boston this season are J.D. Martinez (who is well past his prime defensively) Brock Holt, Sam Travis and Blake Swihart. Holt, Travis and Swihart each play a different primary position, and none of them are graded out as good defensive outfielders.

So to sum up: if Bradley Jr. gets hurt or needs a day off, the team has basically no one who can cover center field. The team also lacks speed off the bench, so Martin makes perfect sense as a defense-first fourth outfielder who can spell JBJ and pinch-run when necessary.

Potential Return?

The primary challenge here is that Boston likely doesn’t want to part with too much to acquire a bench bat. Martin will have plenty of value for Boston, but they don’t have the best farm system and may not want to mortgage premier talent to acquire Martin.

Bobby Dalbec (No. 8 by MLB Pipeline) is an intriguing corner infield prospect that the Tigers could shoot for if the Red Sox come calling. He has a lot of swing-and-miss in his game, but has blasted 14 home runs in just 70 games this season, along with a stellar 14.4% walk rate.

A few other names to keep in mind in Boston’s farm include 1B/OF Pedro Castellanos (no relation), 2B Brett Netzer, and left-hander Bobby Poyner.