As the 2017-18 offseason continues to drag on, top free agents are beginning to sign deals, first Eric Hosmer earlier in the week, now J.D. Martinez and the Boston Red Sox have a deal in place.
According to MLB Network reporter Jon Morosi, the Boston Red Sox and free agent outfielder J.D. Martinez agreed to a five-year, $120 million deal. The contract contains an opt-out after the first two seasons. Although, the Red Sox have not yet confirmed the deal.
J.D. Martinez’s deal is $110 million over 5 years, sources say. Contract is front-loaded prior to opt-out. @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) February 19, 2018
During the offseason, Martinez and the Red Sox seemed close to a deal many times but couldn’t come to the terms both sides wanted. FanRag Sports’ reporter Jon Heyman reported earlier this month that Martinez would hold out if he didn’t receive the money he wanted.
But right before Spring Training, it seems that Martinez settled for less money than many thought he’d get when the offseason started. And ESPN reporter Pedro Gomez confirms from a strong source, that the deal is official.
It’s done. JD Martínez is a Red Sox.
— The Pedro Gomez Foundation (@PGFoundation_) February 19, 2018
At 30 years old, Martinez will enter his eighth season in MLB. In his career, Martinez owns a slash line of .285/.342/.514 with 152 home runs, 476 RBI, 391 runs and a 13.7 bWAR.
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Last season was the best year of Matinez’s career. Starting out with the Detroit Tigers, the outfielder hit .305/.388/.630 with 16 home runs, 39 RBI and 38 runs. With the Tigers struggling and planning to rebuild, they shipped Martinez to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
In Phoenix, Martinez’s power was on display. He hit .302/.366/.741 with 29 home runs, 65 RBI and 47 runs. His time in Arizona even included a four home run game. His overall season stats included a slash line of .303/.376/.690 with 45 home runs, 104 RBI, 85 runs and a bWAR of 4.1.
Now with the Boston Red Sox, Martinez adds even more power and depth to an already deep lineup. With a lot of talent around the diamond, the Red Sox lacked power in 2017. The team ranked 27th in home runs, last season. Martinez definitely could help Boston in that category.
Martinez joins Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi and Xander Bogaerts at the top of Boston’s lineup. Creating one of the best top of the lineups in baseball. Here’s a potential look at what their lineup could look like on Opening Day, according to Boston Globe reporter Pete Abraham.
So now #RedSox will look something like this:
— Pete Abraham (@PeteAbe) February 19, 2018
Betts RF
Benintendi LF
Bogaerts SS
Martinez DH
Ramirez/Moreland 1B
Devers 3B
Nunez 2B (until Pedroia returns)
Bradley CF
Vazquez C
The deal looks to make a big impact for the Red Sox in 2018 but SB Nation baseball reporter Chris Cotillo does bring up an interesting point about the team and big-name signings.
The last five free agents to sign for more than $75M with Boston: David Price, Hanley Ramirez, Pablo Sandoval, Carl Crawford and John Lackey. So JD Martinez will try not to have the same fate as most of those.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) February 19, 2018
Clearly, the Red Sox haven’t had much luck signing free agents to big deals over the past few seasons. With the talent that Martinez possesses, though, it looks unlikely Boston will regret this deal like the others mentioned above.
Next: Was Hosmer's contract worth it for the Padres?
With the addition of Martinez, the Red Sox look to repeat as AL East champs in 2018. Both the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees look to gun for the top, which should make the division really intriguing.