Arizona Diamondbacks: Hall: The pursuit of Martinez will be ‘aggressive’
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.”
Free agents galore
At the same time, Hall does not foresee any issues is signing 14 restricted free agents, and among these are Jake Lamb, A. J. Pollock, David Peralta, and pitchers Robbie Ray, Taijuan Walker, Archie Bradley and Patrick Corbin.
From the start of the off-season period, the Diamondbacks knew re-signing Martinez would be an enormous factor. Now that Boros represents Martinez, and his reputation in asking inflated figures and harsh negotiated tactics, the task to sign Martinez seems overwhelming.
“Now that J. D. has new representation, that will be a factor,” Hall admitted to Call to the Pen. “But yes, we plan to be aggressive here.”
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
So far in the off-season, the Diamondbacks finalized only one transaction, and that was picking up the 2018 option on utility player Daniel Descalso. Most pundits believe activity will increase in the coming weeks. That’s because the general managers are meeting next week in Orlando, and the baseball winter meetings are slated for early December also in Orlando.
During the last-offense, the Diamondbacks, lone-major deal, acquiring Walker and infielder Ketel Marte, occurred just before the Thanksgiving holiday.
Another fitting award
First baseball Paul Goldschmidt won the 2017 Silver Slugger award as the leading hitter in his position.
Next: Silver Slugger Award: Winners and Snubs
Among National League first baseman, Goldschmidt was first in RBIs, with 115, first in runs scored (114), tied for first in doubles with 34 and fifth in On-Base-Percentage with a .967.
The Silver Slugger award was the third in his career. Previously, Goldschmidt won the award in 2013 and 2015 with the Arizona Diamondbacks, well on his way to number four in 2018.
If they can somehow keep the hot bat of Martinez to with the steady Goldschmidt, they will be able to soften the blow of the many free agents heading out of sunny Arizona.