Red Sox inflexibility has slugger J.D. Martinez ‘fed up’
The entire MLB offseason has been moving at a glacial pace, and now it seems slugger J.D. Martinez could be moving on from the Boston Red Sox.
The biggest move for the Boston Red Sox this offseason has been re-signing their first baseman, Mitch Moreland. That is not a move that has fans excited, and it certainly doesn’t match up with the Houston Astros or New York Yankees moves. Right now, it looks like those two teams are the teams to beat in the American League, and without a big bat, the Red Sox could be out of the mix.
Boston has been eyeing slugger J.D. Martinez for awhile now, and they have made a pretty generous offer to him. Now though, Martinez says he is “fed up with the Red Sox’s inflexibility,” and he would rather sign with another club.
Boston’s offer to Martinez was reportedly 5 years for $125 million. He and his agent Scott Boras though are looking for something in the $200 million area. The Red Sox are content standing pat because there is really a lack of competition for the DH.
There are rumors that another team has made a similar offer to J.D., but they’ve yet to be identified. The Arizona Diamondbacks could also be in play to keep one of their stars as they look to get back to the playoffs once again.
The Martinez situation will likely roll over into Spring Training, as he’s willing to hold out until he receives an offer that he feels is on par with his market value. The Red Sox should stand pat though. They shouldn’t outbid themselves, and if Martinez really doesn’t want to be in Boston, don’t bring him here. There are plenty of other options for the Red Sox.
Jose Bautista, Matt Holliday, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, and Trevor Plouffe are all still available. They would all come cheaper than Martinez, and either Bautista or Holliday could be a one-year hold over until the Red Sox reload in the 2019 offseason when players like Bryce Harper and Manny Machado will be available. The Red Sox don’t need J.D. Martinez, though it would certainly be a nice addition.
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Perhaps they can’t win the AL East without Martinez, but they can get into the postseason. The pitching staff that is in place will win the Red Sox tons of games, and the guys in the lineup aren’t so terrible either. Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi, Rafael Devers, and others should be able to put more points on the board than they did last season, and the long ball will come. Boston needs to trust their current guys, and let Martinez mope around for a few more weeks. He’ll come around.