MLB trade rumors: 5 players the Blue Jays should acquire

1. J.D. Martinez

Contenders will soon be lining up to engage the Detroit Tigers in trade talks surrounding their slugging outfielder J.D. Martinez. The Blue Jays do not have the deepest farm system, and may have to pull out all the stops to even be in the running to rent Martinez heading into the offseason. That does not mean they should not try. Martinez would give Josh Donaldson the impact bat for protection that he desperately needs.

After missing the first month and a half of the season, Martinez has returned to post numbers that blow his career norms out of the water. He is batting .299/.387/.658 with 11 home runs coming in only 117 at-bats. In his four years with the Tigers, Martinez is a .300 hitter with an OPS over .900 and 94 home runs. His career has really taken off after failing to establish himself as a big leaguer with the Houston Astros.

Next: MLB trade rumors: 5 players the Red Sox should acquire

Martinez is the best power bat available on the trade market this year, and would give the Blue Jays the presence they have been looking for to fully replace the departed Edwin Encarnacion and the declining Jose Bautista. Justin Smoak has been a very nice surprise this season, but Toronto is still short one thumper in the middle of the lineup. The Blue Jays do have elite talent in the lower levels of their farm system. Martinez is the one player on the trade market they should consider going all in for.