Jose Martinez

Many thought the Cardinals should have traded Martinez to the American League for a pitcher before the 2019 season began. Instead, they signed the slugger to a two-year deal and put him in the field until his defensive woes made it impossible to continue to do so. Finally, a trade to the AL materialized, with the Rays acquiring him in January. Martinez had his worst overall season at the plate, no doubt related to the mental struggles of being a DH on a National League roster. Martinez continues to crush lefties (.331/.405/.570 for his career), but his numbers against righties plummeted last year compared to what he did in 2017 and 2018 against them. This move to the AL was long overdue. His defense got him pulled from the Cardinals' lineup, and those issues are still going to cap his playing time even with the DH available.

Martinez followed up 2017's 135 wRC+ with a solid 125 mark. Curiously, he greatly improved against right-handed pitching while struggling with the platoon edge. Before 2018, Martinez crushed southpaws, so if he can maintain his gains versus righties while reverting to form against lefties, Martinez could be even more productive. This scenario is plausible since his underlying skills versus both types of pitcher were similar, save for the luck-based metrics of BABIP and HR/FB. After the Paul Goldschmidt acquisition, Martinez is in need of a change of scenery. He is tentatively set to compete with Dexter Fowler and Tyler O'Neill for time in right field, but his defensive shortcomings probably pit him third in that pecking order. If he is dealt to the American League, Martinez is the type of mid-tier player that can win leagues since there's upside without much performance risk, as he possesses a solid contact rate in tandem with a stellar hard-hit rate.

A relative unknown entering 2017, Martinez burst onto the scene with 14 homers and an .897 OPS in 307 plate appearances last season. He's a Statcast darling, too; Martinez finished first in xBA, fifth in xwOBA and 17th in average exit velocity (min. 200 at-bats). It's understandable to be skeptical given the lack of pedigree and the fact that Martinez never hit more than 11 homers in a season while on the farm, but most advanced metrics suggest last year's power was real, and that he may just be scratching the surface. Martinez dealt with a thumb injury late in the season, but he returned to hit a homer in the Cardinals' final series, which eased lingering concerns about the injury. Manager Mike Matheny has already said that Martinez has the inside track at a starting job heading into 2018, and Martinez has dual eligibility (first base and outfield). Don't forget about him at the draft table.

Prior to being traded to the Cardinals in May, Martinez started the season with the Royals, where he'd been playing at Triple-A Omaha. Upon joining the Cardinals, he put up a modest .269/.326/.415 line over 87 games at Triple-A Memphis. Once September came around, he made his way up to the majors for the first time in his career. That cup of coffee offered nothing to suggest the need for him to see more playing time. On the other hand, Martinez is capable of performing at the Triple-A level, where he owns a .324/.392/.483 career line, even though his numbers dipped slightly with Memphis in 2016. Look for him to stick around as organizational depth, but it would be a surprise if the Cards are forced to use Martinez in a prominent role this season. If he does land a chance, though, there are tiny hints of potential help with home runs and stolen bases in deep leagues.