What do the Rockies need to counter the Arizona’s J.D. Martinez trade?

J.D. Martinez was a potential target for the Rockies. Now, since the Diamondbacks have improved their team, what will the Rockies do?

Yesterday, the Arizona Diamondbacks made a huge move to bolster their team as they acquired Detroit Tigers outfielder J.D. Martinez for three minor leaguers. He was, perhaps, the best rental on the market for position players. We’ve mentioned Martinez as a potential target in each of these articles recently (plus more in the past).

However, there are plenty of other targets for the Rockies that they could acquire to help their scuffling outfield and help the team, in general.

Outfielder Christian Yelich of the Miami Marlins is a player that we have mentioned as a potential target for the Rockies for the long term (he has been mentioned in numerous articles here at Rox Pile but he’s primarily featured in this one).

In 89 games in 2017, he has 8 home runs, 44 RBIs, 97 hits, a batting average of .281, a .358 on-base percentage, and an OPS+ of 104.

His career year was 2016 and in 155 games, he had 172 hits, 21 HRs, 98 RBIs, a .298/.376/.483, and a 133 OPS+.

In the 12 games that’s he’s played at Coors Field, he four doubles, six RBIs, and a .320/.407/.400 slash line, and a BABIP of .364.

He is also under team control through the 2021 as well as a team option for 2022. In 2018, he will make $7 million followed by $9.75 million in 2019, $12.5 million in 2020, and $14 million in 2021. The team option for 2022 is for $15 million.

Another option is one of his teammates who we have also discussed before.

Marcell Ozuna, like Yelich, has been mentioned in a bevy of articles but primarily, he was mentioned in the same article as Yelich.

Ozuna has had a career year in 2017 as he appeared in his second career All-Star game but this year, he started in left field for it.

In 2017, he already has 23 home runs, 70 RBIs, 113 hits, a .316 average, .374 on-base percentage, and an OPS+ of 146.

In his two other full season of 2014 and 2016 (in 2015, he was injured and only played in 123 games), he averaged 23 HRs and 81 RBIs, a .268/.319/.454, and a 112 OPS+ so obviously, 2017 has been his career year thus far.

In 10 games at Coors Field, he has also played well as he has three homers, four RBIs, and a slash line of .333/.372/.462.

In 2017, he’s also hit in the clean-up spot for the Marlins in 2017 and that the four hole has been an area of disappointment for the Rockies this season. Since we last reported the numbers on Rockies #4 hitters, the numbers have gone up but it is still low.  In the past 13 days since that article was published, the Rockies #4 hitter’s batting average has gone up nine points to .245 (and going from 26th to 22nd in baseball), the on-base percentage is up 10 points to .345 (18th to tied for 12th), and their slugging percentage is up 23 points to .373 (but it is still last in the majors).

Ozuna is arbitration-eligible for the next two seasons before becoming a free agent so he, like Yelich, would be more of a long term option.