How the Arizona Diamondbacks look to counter Shohei Ohtani signing with the LA Dodgers

When Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, it did not take long for Arizona Diamonbacks free agency rumors to catch fire.

Ohtani signed with Arizona's NL West foe on Saturday, and by Sunday, USA Today Sports Major League Baseball columnist and MLB Insider Bob Nightengale reported what the DBacks are 'hopeful' to accomplish moving forward this offseason. Nightengale, a Valley resident, reported that "The Arizona Diamondbacks are hopeful of signing free-agent DH J.D. Martinez now that the Dodgers no longer need him, with Justin Turner also in play."

This counter move would make sense for what has been expected of the Snakes' plans to continue building the roster this offseason. Nightengale had already reported that "The Diamondbacks still would love to sign DH/IF Justin Turner to replace the leadership and bat of Evan Longoria" earlier this month, reiterating that the DBacks are still interested in J.T. after he had been linked to the team early this offseason.

If the DBacks want someone who can both DH for their lineup, and develop culture within a young clubhouse, Turner is not the only option. Martinez doesn't have the 15 years of experience that Turner does, but he comes close with 13 years in MLB, and he also can rake himself.

Martinez boasts a lifetime .287/.350/.524 slash line, and averages 34 home runs and 107 RBIs per 162 games. Just this past season, he hit 33 home runs and drove in 103 runs. While Turner did post a solid .276/.345/.455 slashline this season, he didn't have the power 'Just Dingers' did, as he hit 10 less home runs and drove in seven less runs.

Both players have a strong history offensively with championship experience. They are like Longoria in those regards (although Longoria never won a championship). The two would be upgrades over Longoria at this time, so it's clear why the DBacks are attracted.

Martinez in particular of course is coming off of a better offensive season -- one where he was selected for his sixth All-Star game. Therefore if the DBacks make a move for Martinez, they not only improve their team, but strip the Dodgers of one of the bright spots for them last season.

As Nightengale points out, the Dodgers likely don't see Martinez as necessary now that they added an even better designated hitter in Ohtani. This of course raises the chances of him coming to the desert.

And as for culture building, Martinez already has experience doing that in the Chase Field clubhouse. Martinez played a huge role in lifting the Diamondbacks to the NLDS when he was traded to them during the 2017 season -- slugging 29 home runs in 62 games for AZ. He also slashed an unreal .302/.366/.741 with a 1.107 OPS and 65 RBIs in his time with the Snakes.

He clearly can hit in Chase Field, and the DBacks are in need of a designated hitter. They ranked just 22nd out of 30 when it came to designated hitter batting average last season (.235), tied for 23rd in designated hitter OPS last season (.718) and 22nd in designated hitter wRC+ last season (93). So, while the Dodgers are upgrading themselves at DH, they didn't have the need there that the DBacks did and the DBacks will be upgrading as well if they sign Martinez.

Signing a DH is what Arizona needs to do if they want to respond the best way possible to the Dodgers' move. After all, they had already improved their starting rotation in inking Eduardo Rodriguez to a four-year deal. The Dodgers have not yet added to their starting rotation for next year, as Ohtani will not be pitching next season due to injury.

More E-Rod news: Diamondbacks weren't hesitant to sign pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez despite injury history

After the Rodriguez signing took place, DBacks General Manager Mike Hazen made it clear that he will continue looking for starting pitching on the free agent market, but the team has "higher priorities" now that they already added E-Rod. Hazen had previously already said that he wants a right-handed bat that can either play in the outfield or can DH, and he indicated that free agency is the more likely path to achieve that.

Martinez checks every single one of these boxes, as a right-handed DH/OF who is a free agent, and is not needed by his 2023 squad anymore. Of course, adding more pitching would be huge, but it's not surprising that Nightengale reported that the team is in on Martinez as soon as the Dodgers bolstered their own lineup.

The DBacks swept the Dodgers in the NLDS this year with no trouble, despite not having home field advantage. The Dodgers came into the offseason needing to catch them, and while they certainly made a perfect first step to doing so after signing the best player in the world, the DBacks can still maintain some ground over Los Angeles if they add offense themselves. And while Ohtani is not taking the mound next year, the DBacks added a 3.30 2023 ERA pitcher in Rodriguez who's barely 30 and boasted a 1.153 WHIP this past season.

Adding Martinez or Turner would at least be an upgrade over what they had in their similar role last year, and even if they can't add more significant pitching upgrades afterwards, they at least improved both the lineup and rotation after a season in which they were the National League Champions. It's too early to tell if it's the perfect response, but it would be a notable one in an offseason where they desperately need to find a way to keep up with an LA checkbook that at times appears as if they are playing a different game.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: How Diamondbacks look to counter Shohei Ohtani signing with Dodgers