Arizona Diamondbacks: Hall: The pursuit of Martinez will be ‘aggressive’
By Mark Brown
The odds appear long the Arizona Diamondbacks will sign J. D. Martinez this off-season.
Expect the pursuit to obtain the future services of outfielder J. D. Martinez, now of the Arizona Diamondbacks, to be aggressive and forceful.
Currently, a free agent and the Diamondbacks made every indication they would like to sign the Miami native; most indications point to a bleak Arizona outcome. Simply, the Diamondbacks do not have the numbers to lock Martinez in for neither the short-term nor the long-term.
Though recent comments have been genuine but political, the Diamondbacks do not possess the financial resources to compete with the Giants, Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs or anyone else willing to deal with Scott Boros, his new agent.
While the Diamondbacks projected 2018 payroll would be between $100 and $110, the economics for this “small market” club remain defined. That’s because the team committed nearly $300 million to pitchers Zack Greinke and Yoan Lopez and outfielder Yasmany Tomas. That leaves little to compete with the deep pockets of several other clubs.
Baseball Reference estimated the Arizona 2018 payroll around $116 million.
Before a charity golf event benefiting veterans on Friday, Derrick Hall, the team’s president, and CEO told Call to the Pen that the Diamondbacks expect to be competitive in the Martinez sweepstakes.
"“We plan to be aggressive,” he said. “Beyond that, I can’t say anything else. J. D. is a free agent right now, and I can’t comment any further. There’s no question he meant a lot to us, and we will take a look at this.”"