Hindsight at the Quarter Pole

J.D. Martinez 

I really, really, really wanted the Phillies to sign J.D. Martinez over the winter and make him the everyday right fielder. Instead, the Phils surprised everybody and got first baseman Carlos Santana instead, forcing Rhys Hoskins into the outfield.

J.D. has averaged 33 HR and 103 RBI per season with an OPS of .870 over his 8-year career. And he's absolutely destroying the ball season–15 homers, 41 RBI and a 1.077 OPS. The Red Sox signed him for $110 million over 5 years.

Carlos Santana is a notoriously slow starter. He's up to .189 for the year with a .730 OPS. He's played better in May, but if you're shelling out big bucks for a free-agent first baseman, he better produce all year long. He's getting $60 million over 2 years. And Martinez is 2 years younger than Santana. Replace Santana with Martinez and the currently-anemic offense looks a lot more robust.

The Santana signing has had a ripple effect. Last year's first baseman and instant sensation Rhys Hoskins has struggled big time over the last few weeks. In just 50 games last year, he hit 18 HR and drove in 48 runs. Now he's being asked to play the outfield full time, and I think the move has affected his offense. He's out of his comfort zone and is hitting just .212 with 4 homers since April 17.

Maybe 4 years and $100 million would have brought Martinez to Philly. There's no way to know.

Hoskins is a young player who was wildly successful last season. Moving him to a new, unfamiliar position was a bad idea. Every time I see Red Sox highlights and watch what J.D. Martinez has done, I shake my head and wonder what should have been.