MLB Rumors: Boston Red Sox must decide on Martinez or Hosmer

The Boston Red Sox must feel the need to play catchup with their AL East rival New York Yankees after the Giancarlo Stanton trade because according to Michael Silverman of The Boston Globe, the team is interested in signing outfield slugger JD Martinez and first baseman Eric Hosmer. Both players will cost a pretty penny and for the sake of the team's future, president Dave Dombrowski must choose which one to sign rather than break the bank for both.

This is because both players will command multiyear contracts worth $200m at a minimum. Given Dombrowski's history of giving out lengthy and expensive contracts, the last thing he should do is break the bank to win now, only to risk falling short and be left paying the balance as both men ultimately decline in the next few years.

History with Martinez

The reason Dombrowski would want to sign Martinez goes beyond the 30-year-old batting .303 with 45 home runs and 104 RBI in 119 games with the Detroit Tigers and Arizona Diamondbacks in 2017. The two know each other from Dombrowski's time as head of the Tigers' front office, so it's only natural Dombrowski would want to bring Martinez aboard to boost a Red Sox offense that ranked dead last in the AL with 168 home runs last season.

Of course, Martinez will not come cheap. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported last month that Martinez, who hired super agent Scott Boras on November 1, was seeking a seven-year deal worth $210m. That's a lot of money for someone who has a history of injuries and has only played in over 140 games once in his career.

Not only that, Boston's outfield is set with Andrew Benintendi, Jackie Bradley Jr., and Mookie Betts all penciled in as starters. Unless the plan was to use Martinez as a DH (not the worst idea given his injury history) and move a defensive liability in Hanley Ramirez to first base, spending a great deal of money on him isn't the best idea unless a trade involving Bradley materializes soon.

Hosmer fills a hole