Toronto Blue Jays look to the future with Orelvis Martinez
By Paul Taylor
The Toronto Blue Jays are thinking long-term with the signing of shortstop Orelvis Martinez, who is MLB’s fourth-ranked international prospect.
It’s been a tough season for the Toronto Blue Jays, who enter Sunday’s action with a 41-47 record. They have virtually no chance of winning the AL East and they currently sit 14 games back in the race for a wild card spot.
Everything that could go wrong for the Blue Jays has. There have been injuries and loss of form to key personnel to contend with, along with the not-so-small matter of Roberto Osuna‘s off-field issues.
With all this in mind, the team and their fans could be forgiven for looking ahead, past this season and beyond. In that respect, we got a potential glimpse of what the future might look like early last week.
As reported by CBS Sports, the Blue Jays agreed to a $3.5 million deal with Orelvis Martinez last Monday. The deal is significant for a number of reasons.
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For a start, it brings to a close a pursuit which dates back nearly a year (if not longer). The Blue Jays were long considered favourites to land Martinez, but will still be relieved to finally get a deal agreed.
Talking of the deal, the amount Toronto paid for the 16-year-old is significant. In fact, the $3.5 million represents 70 percent of their spending pool.
As per Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi, the bonus is the second-most paid for an international free agent in franchise history. The most ever forked out ($3.9 million) was for a certain Vladimir Guerrero Jr., in 2015.
In case you’re wondering why the Blue Jays were willing to pay so much, Martinez comes with a sterling reputation and significant potential. MLB rank him number four, on their list of international prospects.
The shortstop is all about power and strength, both in terms of his hitting and build (6 foot 1 and 188 pounds). There is also talk that he could eventually play as a third baseman.
While there are rarely any guarantees in the world of baseball, the Blue Jays are reasonably confident in how Martinez will pan out. Speaking to Davidi, assistant general manager Andrew Tinnish said:
"“When you’re making a big commitment like this, certainly a large percentage of your pool towards one player, you want to feel as comfortable as possible with the bat first and foremost, and we’ve just seen this guy hit a lot.“The combination of consistency, good results, good plan at the plate, has hit good velocity, has hit breaking balls and laid off breaking balls — those things make you as comfortable as you’re going to get with a player who’s obviously a long way away from his prime.”"
Although agreeing a deal with Martinez was undoubtedly the biggest news, the Blue Jays were extremely active in general. In total, they signed 27 international free agents.
Understandably though, most of the attention will be on the Dominican teenager, as fans look to the future. And with the present looking decidedly gloomy right now, expect that attention to intensify over time.
Next: Marcus Stroman returns to early season woes
What’s your take on Martinez? Do you agree with the Toronto Blue Jays spending so much money to secure his services? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.