Pittsburgh Pirates Trade Target Primer: Leonys Martin

The Pittsburgh Pirates may be interested in bringing in Leonys Martin to bolster their beleaguered outfield

The Pittsburgh Pirates initially seemed dead-set on using internal options to replace Starling Marte over the course of his 80 game suspension. Now, after comments from Neal Huntington that indicate he is at least open to the idea of looking outside the organization, a veteran left-handed bat option has become available, one that carries at least a modicum of intrigue.

Leonys Martin has been designated for assignment by the Seattle Mariners, who feel comfortable enough with second-year player Guillermo Heredia‘s early season production to jettison the 29 year-old veteran. Martin is a left-handed bat who has primarily played center field, but has also dabbled in the corner spots throughout his career.

It seems as if the planets are aligning for the Pittsburgh Pirates to at least be interested in acquiring Martin. Is it kismet for the two parties to come together, or will the Pirates balk at the holes in Martin’s game, as well as the salary owed to him?

Solid At Times

As a primer, let’s first take a look at Martin’s career to date.

Martin has spent the entirety of his career in the American League and was in the midst of his second season with the Mariners. For the first five years of his MLB career, Martin was saddled with a ‘slap hitter’ label. Never reaching an OPS of .700 in a “full” season along with lukewarm doubles numbers can tell us exactly what type of hitter he is, nevertheless he was productive. In his 2013-2014 heyday with the Texas Rangers, Martin put up a combined 6.5 fWAR, with a ton of value coming from his defensive abilities and speed.

In fact, his defensive reputation preceded him to such a degree that Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto directly referenced it as an impetus in his club’s pursuit.

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”Greg Johns, MLB.com” link=”http://m.mlb.com/news/article/157446458/mariners-get-leonys-martin-for-tom-wilhelmsen/” color=”” class=”” size=””]”The addition of Martin gives us a premier defensive center fielder,” said Dipoto. “His athleticism and speed will be strong additions to our lineup as we continue to mold the roster.”[/perfectpullquote]

Dipoto rarely meets a trade he doesn’t like, but that fact notwithstanding, Martin saved a total of 45 runs from 2013-2015 – good for third best among outfielders in the American League from 203 through 2015. He also carried a UZR (ultimate zone rating) of 29.3 during that span, good for fourth best.

But Then Along Came 2016

Now a Seattle Mariner, Martin changed his approach in a big way for 2016. Determined to rid himself of the slap hitter label, Martin started putting more fly balls into play – perhaps tapping into the launch angle trend before it was cool – and this worked to the tune of 15 home runs, double his previous career high.

But this result ended up being something akin to fool’s gold, as a closer look showed that Martin’s average exit velocity actually decreased year-over-year from 88.6 mph in 2015 to 88.2 mph in 2016. Perhaps Martin was feeling some pressure to produce after an injury-riddled 2015, but for the sake of 15 home runs and an increase in slugging percentage, Martin drastically changed the type of hitter he was, taking a ton of his value in the process. It would be easy to prefer the 2013 version of Martin, who posted the best slugging percentage of his career backed by the highest doubles total of his career. Add in speed on the basepaths and excellent defense and you’ll have a player that would be coveted by many major league clubs.

So are the Pittsburgh Pirates a Fit?

Despite these shortcomings in approach, the Pittsburgh Pirates would do well to at least take a hard look at Martin. Critics will point to his dreadful .111/.172/.130 slashline in the early goings of 2017 as a non-starter, but a BABIP (batting average on balls in play) of .150 is clearly driving that. Of course, Martin’s exit velocity continues to decline, with a figure of just 85.6 mph to date.

[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]In fact, his defensive reputation preceded him to such a degree that Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto directly referenced it as an impetus in his club’s pursuit[/perfectpullquote]

Martin is a left-handed bat. In years previous, this fact alone would make him an intriguing option for the Pirates. 2017 is a different story, as the club carries LHB’s Adam Frazier and Gregory Polanco, as well as switch hitter Josh Bell. Nevertheless, Martin – who hit left-handers well in 2016 (.261/.298/.386) – is a natural outfielder who can hit from the left side, adding to his realtive value to the Pirates. That may be a function of other needs – Polanco is already in left, Frazier is committed to bouncing around for better or for worse and Bell needs reps at first – but it is a notch in Martin’s plus column regardless.

Martin is platoon-proof and profiles as a 2016 Matt Joyce-lite version of a bat off the bench with whom you feel comfortable giving 10-15 plate appearances or so per week. He can also serve as a late-game defensive replacement in right, and it is easy to see him coming into the game in pinch-running opportunities (Martin had 24 stolen bases last year despite his down year at the plate).

And, all of this before mentioning that Martin would be a significant upgrade over Jose Osuna, should the Pittsburgh Pirates truly believe they can compete for a playoff spot this season.

That last line is important. In all actuality, there is no need for the Pirates to acquire Martin if they internally feel that the loss of Marte is too crippling of a blow to overcome. Martin is owed about $4.5 million this season. The lone scenario in which a trade makes sense is if the Pirates jettisoned Antonio Bastardo as part of the deal. However, with Seattle boasting two capable left-handed relievers in their bullpen with James Pazos (2.35 ERA/2.64 FIP) and Marc Rzepczynski (0.00 ERA/ 3.25 FIP), Bastardo would not be an upgrade.

All things considered, the impetus to even explore a trade for Martin must come from the optimism of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ baseball ops folks. Even if that bright outlook exists, the challenges of constructing a deal for the bounce-back candidate are formidable at best.

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