Watch: Ken Rosenthal Discusses the Impact of J.D. Martinez Trade, Draws Comparison to Cespedes
Ken Rosenthal is a baseball guru who, when he has something to say, people stop and listen to. So when he was featured on MLB Network today to discuss J.D. Martinez and the Diamondbacks future, we knew it’d be good.
In the interview, Rosenthal points out that both A.J. Pollock and Paul Goldschmidt free agencies are in the not-to-distant future for the D-backs. Indeed, Pollock will hit free agency in 2019, while Goldy becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2020. In addition, Rosenthal mentions that there’s a possibilty that the D-backs will trade Greinke at some point for financial reasons. All this, we know.
In reference to the Martinez trade Rosenthal goes on to say, “You could make the case that they needed to act now because this is their window, they’re going to have to make some difficult decisions, perhaps even trade Pollock this offseason.” It’s hard to disagree with the notion of trading Pollock, considering the D-backs this season are 31-13 without him and 23-27 with him healthy.
In addition, they go on to touch on the possibility of the D-backs re-signing Martinez after the season, comparing him to Yoenis Cespedes, with Rosenthal adding, “If, perhaps, the market isn’t what he [Martinez] expects, than I wouldn’t see why a long-range deal with the Diamondbacks would not be possible.”
.@Ken_Rosenthal joined #MLBCentral this morning to break down the long-term impact of the @Dbacks’ acquisition of J.D. Martinez. pic.twitter.com/ygXiMQRarI
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 20, 2017
